Caught In The Act
by Xx.Hikari The Light.xX
Summary: [Sequel to The Dragon's Puppy] Seto and Joey are beginning to come to terms with their relationship and everything seems to be in perfect, running order…that is until the truth is revealed to the ones they wished to hide it from…
1. Prologue

**Caught In The Act**

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Well, here it is. I finally got around to writing the sequel to **The Dragon's Puppy**! I am not planning on making this as long as the last one but nevertheless, it will be worth reading! So to all those who asked for this, just sit back and enjoy!_

_**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh nor will I ever, as much as I wish I did. _

_**Pairings: **SetoxJoey_

_**Warnings: **Possible sexual situations and mature content._

_**Summary: **Seto and Joey are beginning to come to terms with their relationship and everything seems to be in perfect, running order…that is until the truth is revealed to the ones they wished to hide it from… _

* * *

**Prologue**

"Seto!" Mokuba wailed as he burst into his elder brother's study. As much as he hated to be disturbed while he was working, Seto knew that the young pre-teen must have a reasonable explanation for causing such a commotion.

"What is it Mokie?" This comment caused the raven-haired child's ears to perk up like that of a rabbit. His brother rarely called him by his nickname, not since they were adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba, which was, no doubt, the horror of their childhood.

"Yugi just called!" he exclaimed joyously, completely unfazed by the fact that his brother was acting very much unlike himself. It had been almost six months since he and Joey Wheeler had started dating and the relationship was beginning to affect him on a more personal level. It wasn't that the young child complained; in fact, he seemed to like the new change. He figured that it was about time his brother saw the brighter side of life; he just didn't think that someone like Joey would be the one to do it.

Seto simply cocked his right eyebrow in such a way that it looked as though he was not at all interested in what the spiky-haired teenager wanted from him. "What does he want?" the CEO questioned his younger brother without bothering to take his eyes off of the computer screen set in front of him.

"He asked if we wanted to meet him and his friends at the mall, seeing as how they haven't seen Joey in quite a long time. I told him I'd call him back with your answer but…"

"Sorry Mokuba but I already have plans for tonight."

"What plans?" The younger Kaiba tilted his head to one side with a look of innocent curiousity plastering his features.

Peering over his laptop, Seto began to explain himself. "Plans that involve Yugi coming over to watch you while Joey and I go out."

Mokuba's eyes than grew as wide as saucers as they lit up with excitement. "You're taking Joey out?" By the sound of his voice, you could tell that this was the happiest he had been since the couple had first got together.

"Yes, which is why I have asked Yugi to come over. He will be spending the night here seeing as how I do not have a designated time as to when Joey and I will be back."

"Don't worry big brother! I'll be good! I just hope you and Joey have a good time!" With that said, Mokuba skipped merrily out of the room and down the hall to his own. Seto merely heaved a heavy sigh before returning to his work.

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Sorry that this chapter is so short but it is only the prologue. The other chapters will be longer, I promise! I just want to know what you think of this story so far. Does it have potential? Do you want me to continue it? If so, please let me know in your reviews. I have lots of ideas in my head and they need to be put to good use! Anyway, I look forward to seeing your comments so please, make me smile! Luv ya! Ja ne!_


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One: First Night Out**

"Hey Joey!" Mokuba exclaimed, bursting into the blonde's room. Judging by his reaction, the young child could tell that he was not expecting company. The teenager almost jumped a few feet in the air when he realized just who was calling his name.

"Oh Mokuba, it's only you."

"Yah, it's just me. Listen, I just heard the best news!" he exclaimed joyously, restraining himself from bouncing around the room.

"What is it?" Curiousity was getting the better of him. He wanted to know what the raven-haired pre-teen had found out but at the same time he thought that it would be better to leave something such as this unsaid. Every time Mokuba came to him with news of any sort, it always turned the tables on him. _Maybe this time will be different… _he thought hopefully as he noticed Mokuba bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Seto is taking you out tonight!" he shouted gleefully, so loud that it was possible everyone on that floor could hear him. Joey, on the other hand was not so ecstatic.

"He's **_what_**?" Joey's jaw was literally hanging open, almost as if he was waiting for someone to stuff food into his mouth.

"Taking you out tonight," Mokuba repeated and then continued his statement further. "I just talked him and that's what he said."

Now Joey was speechless. He couldn't seem to comprehend what Mokuba had just told him. Why was Seto taking him out? Didn't he want to keep their relationship private? What happened to the Seto Kaiba he used to know, the one that believed in keeping their love a secret? Had he changed? Does he feel that a private relationship is just not working out for the two of them? All these questions were starting to give him a headache and he couldn't bear to think anymore. He took a seat on the bed and looked back over to Mokuba.

"So where exactly is he taking me?" the blonde inquired, hoping for an answer that wouldn't make his head spin even more.

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. All he said was that Yugi was coming over for the night to watch me while you and him go out somewhere. He never even told me when you guys would back…" Joey gulped upon hearing the last sentence. If Seto had not given a designated time to when they would be back at the mansion, would that mean that…? He didn't want to think of the possibilities; whatever happened, happened and he would just have to deal with the consequences.

"So that's it?"

"Yep, at least, that's all I know," Mokuba replied, still in a rather chipper mood. It took a lot to bring his spirits down and when someone or something did, it hit him hard, almost as solid as rock.

Joey sighed. "Well I guess I'll just have to wait until tonight. Thanks for telling me Mokuba; at least now I have some time to prepare myself."

"Not a problem." Mokuba flashed a bright smile in the blonde's direction as he turned to exit the room. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay, see ya kid!" With a wave of his hand, he noticed the mass of raven black hair disappear around the corner and down the hall. As much as the blonde-haired puppy wished to just slip underneath the covers and go to sleep, he fought that urge, knowing full well that he should start getting ready. He decided that his best bet would be to take a shower first. Even though he was extremely nervous about going out with Seto Kaiba, he still wanted to make a good impression of himself, especially since they were going out in public for the first time. He still couldn't believe it though; they were actually going out in **_public_**. He never thought that he would see that day; then again, he never even thought that he would be going out with his archrival. It's such a small world, isn't it? Yet soon enough, after he broke away from his thoughts, Joey grabbed a set of clothes off of his dresser that had been sitting there since early in the morning.

_Seto must have put these here for tonight…_ Joey thought mentally as he walked out of his room and headed towards the bathroom. Luckily, no one was in there so he could walk right in. However, he didn't want to take too long in case someone else needed to use the bathroom. He was mainly thinking of Seto since it was him that he was going out with. He than suddenly began to drift away from reality as he pictured the brunette unclothed and very much exposed. Yet that didn't last long, for the blonde quickly shook his head as he tried to rid his mind of all the thoughts that currently ran through it…at least all the ones that included Seto. He didn't know why he was thinking this way but couldn't help in doing so. He was confused, more confused than he had been since Seto had first admitted his feelings to him. However, he simply ignored everything and closed the door as he began to strip down. Once he threw all of his dirty clothes into the laundry chute, he walked over to the tub and turned on the water, adjusting it to the right temperature. Soon enough, the shower was running and he climbed in, soaking in the heat as it poured over his aching body. He was feeling much better than he had been, yet he was still a little sore from all the pain and suffering his father had put him through when he lived with him. But that was in the past and he had to focus on the present and the future, which he hoped to share with Seto…

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto was still in his study working on a report for Kaiba Corp. He had been working on it for what seemed like forever and he couldn't wait until both he and Joey were out of house. He needed the fresh air and as much as he didn't want to draw attention to his relationship with the blonde, he knew that people would eventually find out sooner or later. So without any further thought, he stood up from his chair and walked out from behind his desk and over to the door where he opened it and walked across the hall to where the bathroom was conveniently located. However, when he went to open the door, steam erupted out from the room and he hurriedly closed it without any second thoughts. He knew someone was in there and by simply guessing, he figured that it was Joey, getting ready for their night out. He felt kind of awkward, knowing that he had almost walked in on his boyfriend while he was in the shower. He didn't know why he felt that way, he just did. It was unexplainable and the harder he thought about it, the more of a headache he got. They were going out and yet he felt uncomfortable about being in this type of situation. It was sure odd, yet he didn't think twice about it. He gave up and turned around, heading back into his study and closing the door behind him. He would pretend that this little scenario never happened and continue with the work that was waiting for him on his computer. When he sat back down again, he began hacking away at the keyboard, taking out all of his frustration on the poor, defenseless little laptop. It was the only way he could deal with his problems without inflicting harm on others or himself. Yet now that he had Joey by his side, he could talk about his problems with the one that meant so much to him. Yes, Mokuba did mean the world to him but now he had two people to share his feelings with and he was glad for that…

* * *

After Joey was done his shower and dressed, he did his usual bathroom routine. Once finished, he headed back to his room where he decided to watch a little TV before Seto decided it was time for them to head out for the night. He took a seat on the bed, turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels, looking for something interesting to watch. When he found nothing, he fell backwards onto the bed and closed his eyes, drifting into a peaceful, dream-filled sleep, which was unordinary for him, seeing as how he hadn't had many passive nights since he had first arrived at the mansion. All he used to be able to dream about was what would happen if his father found out where he was currently staying and what he would do to him. Every dream was more like a nightmare…until he found serenity within the arms of his new lover…

Suddenly, almost unexpectedly, a loud ringing echoed through the blonde's ear as he snapped back to reality. It was then that he heard Mokuba call out from the down the hall as he scampered down the stairs to the first floor.

_Yugi must be here… _Joey thought as he got up off of the bed and headed downstairs himself, ready to greet his friend with a warm, friendly smile. Even though a smile would not suit his current mood, which, of course, was extreme nervousness, he knew that it was only polite.

"Hey Mokuba," Joey greeted while peering over the raven-haired child's shoulder so as to get a better look at his friend. "Hey Yug, what's up pal?" His tone of voice sounded more cheerful than normal, yet both Yugi and Mokuba figured that it was because he was going out for the night. However, to their unfortunate dismay, that was not the reason for Joey's unexpected enthusiasm. He was acting this way only to cover up for how he really felt about this whole situation.

"Nothing much and you?"

"Same old, same old," Joey replied as he casually shrugged his shoulders.

"That's good. I'm glad to see you're up and about." Ever since Yugi had heard that Joey was practically bed-ridden awhile back, he couldn't help worrying; in fact, out of their entire circle of friends, he was the one who was most concerned with the blonde's health. But now that he knew his friend was feeling a lot better than he had been, he could finally relax and calm himself down.

"So Yugi…" Mokuba interrupted as he started bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. He always did that whenever he was excited or hyper (or both) and when that happened…well, let's just say that it's not a pretty sight.

"Yes?"

"What do ya want to do tonight?"

"I don't know. We'll decide that after Joey and Seto leave."

"But that won't be for at least another hour! At least play Phantasy Star Online with me!" he pleaded, turning the ever-so-lovable puppy dog eyes on the spiky-haired teenager. Just like most people, Yugi couldn't help but cave. It was impossible to resist that look and if there were someone that could, it would be a miracle in itself.

"Fine," Yugi sighed as he put on his best fake smile so that the young pre-teen wouldn't know how he really felt.

"Yay!" Mokuba exclaimed joyously as he ran into the living and made sure that the Gamecube was hooked up properly. "You coming Yugi?" he called out behind him to the two teens that were still standing in the front hall.

"Yes, I'm coming," Yugi replied as he walked up a couple of steps into the living room. However, before he turned his attention to that of the video game, he looked to Joey. "I guess you probably want to go upstairs and prepare yourself for your night out tonight, ne?"

Joey was a little hesitant with his reply. He didn't understand or know how Yugi found out about him and Seto but just figured that it was Mokuba who probably told him. "Yah, that would be a wise decision," Joey smirked casually as he headed up the stairs to his bedroom where he could freshen up a little bit more. On his way towards his destination, he passed by Seto's room, of which he simply walked right on by. He didn't want to disturb his boyfriend for he could be in the middle of something highly important; he could wait until it was time to go.

When he stepped into his room, he closed the door behind him and turned to the large mirror standing in front of him. While admiring his physique, he thought about how Seto was going to react to seeing him in such a state. He figured that he would probably just give him a kiss and they would be on their way out the door. As he continued to ponder with that thought, he closed his eyes and entered a world in which only **_his_** imagination could dream up. He loved every second of it and never wanted to leave…

* * *

Later on that evening, Joey was already downstairs and waiting in the living room for Seto to come down. For entertainment, he watched Yugi and Mokuba play Phantasy Star Online. Of course, Mokuba was kicking Yugi's butt, but only because he had had more practice than the older teen.

"That's not fair! I had that monster in my sights! I could have killed him!" Yugi complained as he set his controller down, or more so slammed it and crossed his arms in frustration.

"Heh, what did I tell ya? I'm just too good at this game!"

"Really? Okay, I'll play you best two out of three!" Yugi then picked up his controller and continued playing as if nothing had happened. It was then that all three males heard footsteps on the stairway behind them and when they looked back, they weren't overly surprised to see who was standing there. However, Joey was practically speechless when he got a closer look at what the brunette was wearing. It was completely different from most of the outfits he wore: tight, black leather pants (those never change), a tight, black muscle shirt, a black leather jacket, his hairstyle hadn't changed and his shoes looked to be made of leather as well. After taking in everything before his very eyes, Joey could have sworn that he had never before seen so much leather in his entire life; even Yami didn't wear that much leather and that was definitely saying something.

"Hey."

Joey gulped. "Hi," was the only response that managed to escape his now trembling lips.

"Ready to go?" the brunette inquired quizzically as he took in his boyfriend's appearance. He recognized the outfit almost immediately, seeing as how it was one that he had laid out especially for him. It consisted of: baggy black jeans, a black, loose-fitting muscle shirt and a black cotton jacket. Seto loved what he saw and couldn't wait until later when they were finally alone. Of course, they could be by themselves within the mansion's walls but it just wasn't the same. They had never really got to spend much time outside of that life and as much as Seto hated to admit it, it would be good for the both of them to get out, at least once in a while.

"S-sure," Joey stammered as he got up from the couch and walked around to where his lover was standing. "Whenever you are, I guess."

"Well I'm ready now so why don't you say we get going?"

"Okay," Joey replied hesitantly as they both headed down to the surprisingly small entrance hall.

"See you guys later!" Mokuba called out. "Have fun!"

"Bye!" Yugi added before turning his attention back to the game. The couple then said their goodbyes and when they were both ready, they stepped outside and headed over to the limousine that was currently parked right outside the garage. Once inside, Seto ordered the driver to take them to Club 64. Joey had had no idea what that was but just decided to go with the flow; after all, going to a club couldn't be that bad, right? Something told him that this night was going to be more than he could handle…

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Well, how was that? I think I did pretty well on this chapter, don't you? Hmm…I wonder what's going to happen at the club… Oh, before I forget, I just want to mention something. Yugi knows all about Seto and Joey's relationship because seeing as how he and Joey are best friends, it makes sense for him to know first. But how will the others react? I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Until then, please review! Ja ne!_


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: Nightmarish Dream**

The limo ride to the club was anything but wondrous; no one spoke or even moved a single muscle. It was relief for the both of them when they finally arrived at their destination.

Seto was the first one to exit the vehicle as he held the door open for his lover. "Coming?"

Joey looked up to the brunette and nodded his head slowly yet surely. "Yah," he managed to reply after a few seconds pause. Upon placing his feet on solid ground, he looked around and examined his surroundings. "Umm…Seto?"

"Yes? What is it?" The CEO wrapped his one arm around the blonde's back and stared down into his chocolate brown orbs. This gesture seemed to make Joey feel rather uncomfortable as he tried to squirm his way out of his boyfriend's grasp. Seto couldn't comprehend the reason for his lover's sudden action but just figured that it was because he was still pretty shy about coming out in public for the first time.

"It's just that I…" The blonde-haired puppy was then cut off in mid-sentence by a group of shrieking and giggling girls who were swiftly passing by. Both males sighed and decided to head inside with the rest of the teenagers who were currently standing around the entranceway to the club. Joey paused in mid-step, unsure of what was going to happen when he and Seto entered the ever-so-popular social event. However, he simply shrugged off all of the thoughts of any possible happenings and returned to his lover's side.

Upon entering the club, a sudden blast of music sounded through the couple's ears, nearly causing them to go half-deaf.

"Geez, couldn't they at least turn the music down?" Joey half-yelled. Seto merely laughed, yes, laughed and looked at the blonde with an actual smile plastering his features. The CEO rarely ever smiled, yet ever since he and Joey had first started dating, things seemed to change, for the better and not for the worst.

"You really are dense, aren't you?" Joey simply stuck out his tongue in a childish manner and it took everything Seto had not to lean in and take advantage of the proposed gesture.

"This is a club and as you should know, in a club there is **_loud_** music playing." Emphasizing on the word **_loud_**, the brunette smirked victoriously. It was then that Joey had had enough of his attitude and decided to take action. He wrapped his arms around his lover's neck, pulled his head down closer to his own and leaned in for a gentle yet passionate kiss, slipping in his tongue as he did so. Seto simply deepened the kiss and slowly moved his hands down the blonde's thin yet muscular body. They pulled apart after a few minutes, only to notice that a few teenage guys and girls were watching them with great intent. It only took one glare from Seto Kaiba to send them packing. After the couple was sure that the group of teenagers was out of sight, they both agreed to find a place to sit, relax and have something to eat, seeing as how they were both starving.

"Okay, you stay here while I go and get us both something to eat," Seto stated while looking directly into his lover's beautiful brown orbs; it was almost as if you could drown yourself in their beauty.

"Sure thing," Joey replied while motioning for the brunette to come closer. The CEO did just that and when their noses came into close contact, they leaned in for what seemed like the quickest kiss either one of them had ever experienced. After they both had pulled away from one another, Seto turned his back to the blonde and began walking over towards the snack bar. Joey watched as he vanished out of view before placing his head down on the table, resisting the urge to fall asleep right then and there. He knew that it was not polite to fall asleep while on a date, especially if it was the first. However, no matter how hard he tried, the blonde just couldn't avoid the essence of sleep now looming over his head. Before long, his head began to droop and in a matter of seconds he was fast asleep, dreaming of what he hoped would be beautiful dreams.

_**Enter Dream Sequence**_

"_I love you Seto," the blonde moaned while resting peacefully within his lover's arms. _

"_I love you too Joey," Seto added softly as he began to stroke the male's soft, silky smooth blonde hair. Joey continued to moan peacefully until numerous voices, both male and female could be heard, jolting him out of his current position and to a sitting position. As he sat with his legs crossed, he looked up only to notice that all of his friends were standing before him. _

"_Joey? What are you doing with Kaiba?" Tea questioned hesitantly, taking a few steps backward. _

"_Yah. I thought you and Kaiba hated each other…" Tristan added as Ryou merely stood with his eyes wide open in shock. _

"_Well, we did but…" Joey hesitated to reply. He didn't know what to say. How could he tell his friends that he was dating his own worst enemy? Would they think that he was insane? Would they hate him? Would they never speak to him again? No, that wouldn't happen, it just couldn't. If they were truly his friends, they wouldn't hate him just because of **one **decision that he made. If they were his friends, they would stick by him no matter what. They would stick by him through thick and thin, through better or for worse. Friends do that for one another and if they couldn't accept the truth then they weren't true friends. _

"_Joey?" Tea piped up, curious as to why her friend wasn't replying. _

"_Seto and I are…" _

"_Yes?" _

"_We're dating." Everyone's eyes than shot right open as soon as those words sunk into their minds. _

"_You're **what**?" Tea practically shouted. _

"_You heard me," Joey repeated rather sternly, which wasn't a common tone used by the blonde. _

"_But it's Kaiba!" Tristan exclaimed. _

"_So? What's the big deal?"_

"_The big deal is that it's Kaiba! He's a stuck-up bastard that doesn't care about anyone except himself and his brother!"_

"_Tristan's right. Why would you date someone like him? Besides, can't you find a girlfriend?" That comment made Joey's head droop. Tea's words sounded harsh, perhaps even too harsh. Were his friends really that concerned with his and Seto's relationship? Did they plan to break up the two just because they were both of the same sex? Joey furrowed his brow as he lifted his head back up to face his supposed **friends**. _

"_I don't care what you think. Seto and I are happy with our relationship and there's nothing you can do to break us up." Joey's voice now held a more firm tone to it as both Tea and Tristan looked at him in disgust. _

"_Fine. You two can do as you please but until you become normal again, we can't hang out anymore. Goodbye Joey, goodbye forever." With that, Tea, Tristan and Ryou walked away with their heads held high, almost as if they didn't have a care in the world._

"_Good riddance," Seto spoke up as he pulled Joey back into his warm embrace. However, Joey did not moan nor did he make any kind of sound at all. He just merely watched as his former friends vanished from sight. As much as he hated the fact that they couldn't accept his relationship with Seto Kaiba, he missed their friendship already. They had done everything together and nothing could pull them apart. Now, a few years after their very first meeting, they were going their separate ways…forever…_

_**End Dream Sequence**_

Joey woke up in a cold sweat; he didn't know whether it was real or just a dream. Fortunately, when he looked around at his current surroundings, he couldn't spot any trace of Tea, Tristan or Ryou. In fact, the only person that he knew in the entire club was Seto Kaiba.

"What just happened?" he asked himself, running one hand through his mess of sandy blonde hair. _Was it just a dream or-? _His thoughts were then interrupted by a female voice whispering quietly into his ear.

"Joey…"

"Huh? What?" As soon as he whisked his head around, he was shocked, surprised and frightened, all at the same time. It was like his worst dream was about to become a reality…or so he thought…

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Sorry to leave you all with a dreadfully evil cliffhanger but this will make the perfect opening for the next chapter. Hope you are all enjoying this story so far and don't forget to review! I love seeing all of your wonderful comments. They always inspire me to write more. Anyway, luv ya'll! Ja ne!_

_P.S. In case any of you are wondering, I only included Tea, Tristan and Ryou in the dream sequence for a specific reason. Yugi, of course, already knows about Seto and Joey's relationship, Mai is not in this story and the couple will come into an encounter with Serenity later on. Hope that clears up any confusion. Now time for me to get started on chapter four!_


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: The Song That Started It All**

"Joey…" The female voice continued to ring through the blonde's ears until he was able to distinguish exactly who was talking to him.

"Huh? Tea?" he inquired curiously.

"Hey bro!" That voice, however, rang an immediate bell in Joey's mind. He knew exactly who the person was and that they were indeed male.

"Tristan?"

"Who else would it be?" the pointy-haired teen added with a casual shrug of his shoulders as he gave his best friend a giant pat on the back. This gesture almost caused Joey to go flying out of his seat; it was a lucky thing that the table was there to catch him before anything catastrophic happened.

The blonde-haired puppy choked out a few coughs before replying. "What are you guys doing here anyway?"

"Well Tea **_insisted_** on coming here and since Yugi is watching Mokuba tonight, I got stuck coming instead. I could be doing something more productive with my time but no, I had to come to this damn club and be bored off my ass for the next couple of hours." Tristan let out a big, heavy sigh before collapsing into one of the nearby chairs.

"Well at least you won't get stuck dancing..." Joey commented with a small smirk plastering his features.

"Oh he'll be dancing…" Tea stated in a reassuring yet firm tone of voice. This forced both Joey and Tristan to gulp down a rather large breath of air. When Tea was determined to do something, she could be scary, **_very scary_**…

"Great…" Tristan threw his head back in the chair and heaved yet another sigh, this time of exhaustion. Yet not a moment later, he tossed his head back into its original position when he saw who was headed their way. "Just what I need right now…" he moaned irritably.

"What is it?" Tea inquired as she turned around to face whatever Tristan was grumbling about.

"I'll give ya three guesses and the first two don't count."

"What are you talking about?" Before Tea could go any further with her questions, she heard a gruff-sounding voice come from behind her and when she turned around to face whoever was there, she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh, it's just Kaiba…" she sighed.

"What do you want?" Tristan asked in a voice unlike his own; it almost sounded like he was ready to dive in for the kill at a moment's notice. You could easily tell that the two were not the best of friends.

Seto rolled his eyes in almost the exact same fashion as Tea. "Oh great, it's the geek squad." That was when Tristan made a fist with his right hand and began to grit his teeth, showing everyone that he was not pleased with the CEO in any way, shape or form.

"Watch what you say Kaiba…" the brunette growled lowly as Tea managed to hold him back. She wasn't prepared to watch Seto Kaiba and one of her best friends get into a huge fight. She knew that if she let something like that happen, it would only lead to more trouble and eventually get them kicked out of the club, if not brought down to the police station. So far, Tea had a clean record and did not want to ruin it because of two people's stupidity. Yes, she even classed Seto Kaiba in that category because in her books, anyone that starts a fight in a public place deserves that title.

"Or what? You'll try and fight me? I don't think that would be a wise idea, seeing as how there are one too many people around. You wouldn't want to cause an uproar in a place such as this, now would you?" Seto smirked victoriously while secretly turning his gaze to that of his boyfriend. Joey was currently resting his head on the table, hoping that his friends and lover wouldn't get into a fight, especially on a night such as this.

_I stand corrected; maybe Kaiba does have some sense after all. Now if only Tristan could be that smart… _Tea thought mentally before lowering herself back down to reality. "Well, I guess we better get going. I'm pretty sure that Ryou probably has our food by now so we'll talk to you later, okay Joey?" There was no response from the blonde. "Joey?" the brunette repeated once more. There was still no response.

"Joey," Seto spoke into his lover's ear. "You're friends are saying goodbye," he whispered.

"Yah, I know."

"Then why don't you answer them?"

"Well I…"

"What?"

"Never mind." The blonde than decided to speak up for the first time since his friends had first greeted him. "Bye guys…"

"Bye," Tea replied hesitantly, turning her back away from the two and heading over towards the snack bar where she knew Ryou would be waiting for them. Tristan followed suit, wondering just what was going on inside his best friend's head. He had seemed a little distant throughout the whole conversation with him and that of Seto Kaiba. Was there something that he wasn't telling them? Did he have a secret that he wished to keep private and not tell anyone? It was hard trying to look into a person's mind without having a single clue of what was going on inside of it.

"Tristan?"

"Yah?"

"Do you know what's going on with Joey? He seemed a little…off tonight…"

"You noticed too, huh?"

"Yah and I wish there was something I could do but…I just don't know. I want to know what's bothering him, if there's anything at all, but at the same time I don't want to intrude on his personal life." Throughout all the years that the gang had been together, Tea was slowly learning the fact that if people didn't want to tell her certain things about their personal life, she needed to respect that and continue on with her own life. It took quite a while but it was now starting to sink in more and more each day.

"I know what you mean. Joey's my best friend and I only want what's best for him. But if he doesn't want to tell me something, I guess that would be okay. I mean, I really want to know what's bugging him but I know that if I intrude, it would only cause hardship," Tristan explained.

"So what do you think we should do?"

"Just let it be. If he wants to tell us something, let **_him _**come to **_us_**. But if he doesn't want to open up to us, we just have to go with the flow, no matter how difficult it may be."

Tea let her head drop slightly; wondering if that was the right thing to do. "Well, I guess that would be fine…" she managed to comply.

"Good. Well, now that we got that settled, what do you say we go eat?"

"Sure, let's go." With that, the two teens headed off to the table where Ryou Bakura was currently sitting, waiting for them to seat themselves.

Meanwhile with Seto and Joey…

"Thanks Seto. How did you know I love pizza?" Joey asked before taking a huge bite of his rather large slice of pizza.

"Oh, just a lucky guess." The brunette merely shrugged his shoulders as he took one of his gravy and cheese-covered fries and placed into carefully into his mouth. The two teens were complete opposites when it came to food; Joey would eat like there was no tomorrow and Seto would always take his time, making sure that his meal digested properly. It doesn't really matter though because it's just like the old saying goes, "Opposites attract".

After they were both finished, the music grew louder and louder until it was possible that you could go deaf, if you had sensitive ears that is. Luckily, neither Joey nor Kaiba was that unfortunate.

"Man, I never knew going to a club could be this hard on your ears!" Joey practically shouted, seeing as how you wouldn't be able to hear him very well, if at all, if he talked normally.

"Like I said before, that's what a club is." Seto barely had to raise his voice when he spoke; that was one of perks of having such a deep-sounding voice.

Joey simply rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed with all of Seto's smug comments. "Whatever…" He didn't care that his voice sounded sarcastic; that was the way he meant for it to sound. Seto, on the other hand, was getting more and more turned on by the minute. Even though he didn't show it, it was clearly evident in his actions. Joey tried to hide the obvious fact that he was blushing, knowing full well what was about to happen next. However, they were interrupted before they could even lean in closer to one another. A song that both teens knew all to well came on. The title of the song was **_Seasons of Love _**from a movie entitled **_RENT_**. Joey's face looked as though he was going to break down due to embarrassment and Seto managed to keep his mask up, not wanting to let his true emotions shine all the way through, especially with so many people around.

"So..." Seto began and than froze up. He didn't know what else to say, nor did he know what else to do. This was not common for the infamous CEO, yet as much as he tried to break out of his current state, he found it near impossible.

"What?" Joey was in the same sort of predicament except for one minor difference…he could at least carry on a conversation.

Seto opened his mouth again but no words came out. Finally, he decided to just let everything slip; it may not be such a wise decision but at the moment, it was the only thing he could think of. "Joey I…"

"Yes?"

"Do you…umm…do you…want…todancewithme?" The last few words came out all in one breath so it was rather difficult for Joey to understand exactly what his boyfriend was trying to tell him.

"What? I didn't catch that…"

_Great… _Seto sighed while mentally rolling his eyes. He really didn't want to say it again but found that he had no choice in the matter if he wanted to get everything off of his chest.

"Will you…do you…wanttodancewithme?" He couldn't help it. This was the first time he ever had to ask someone such a hard question (Or at least it was difficult in his eyes) and he didn't want to mess it up.

"Do I want to…dance with you?" Joey repeated.

Seto nodded his head without saying another word; for fear that he would let something personal slip from his mouth.

"Well…I guess…if you want to…" Joey was walking on thin ice as well; he didn't know how to respond to such a question. Sure, he had danced with Mai many times when they were going out but it was different with a guy, especially one such as Seto Kaiba. But he simply decided to just go with the flow and let nature take its course.

"Well then, shall we?" Seto motioned to the dance floor as he took Joey's hand and pulled him over to it. Once there, the brunette placed his right hand on the blonde's waist and his other hand in the blonde's right hand. Joey moved his left hand to that of his lover's right shoulder as they began to dance at a rather slow pace. When dancing for the first time, it is usually easier and more comfortable if you start off with a slow dance and then work your way up. It was the same with this couple; they made their way slowly across the floor, blushing all the while. To them, this was best moment of their lives…even though it **_was _**their first dance. However, what the couple didn't realize was that they were being watched…

"Is that…Joey and Kaiba?" Tea questioned the two males standing on either side of her, hoping that this was all just a horrible dream. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't a dream or even a nightmare…it was reality, which can sometimes be the scariest of all…

"I think so. But what are they doing…together?" Tristan thought aloud as he began squirming around, looking very uncomfortable with what he was seeing.

"I don't know but maybe that's what Joey's secret is. I bet that he didn't want to tell us because he was afraid that we would hate him," Tea suggested.

"But we wouldn't and deep down inside he knows it too. We're his best friends and nothing will come between us," Ryou put in.

"That's right," the brunette complied and then added, "So what do we do? Do we go up and talk to him after they're done dancing or what?" She turned to both Tristan and Ryou with a look that matched her words perfectly.

"Uhh…you can tell him…" Tristan said as he gave Tea a little push towards the dance floor.

The girl looked back at her friend with a glare. "What? Why me? Why don't you come with me? He's your best friend too!"

"Yah well, I think it would be better if you talked to him. You're good with these kinds of things. I've seen you talk to many people about different issues and you always seem to make things right," Tristan explained matter-of-factly, determined to weasel his way out of confronting Joey.

Tea's cheeks turned to that of a light pink, yet it disappeared soon after. "Don't think you're getting out of this one, Tristan. You're coming with me and so are you Ryou. Neither one of you are backing out of this situation. We all saw those two dancing with one another so it makes sense for all three of us to go up and talk to **_our _**best friend, right? Right?" she practically demanded as she cocked an eyebrow.

Both Tristan and Ryou let out a heavy sigh and then looked up to their female friend. Tristan, however, was the first one to speak.

"Fine, I'll go." Ryou merely nodded his head in unison.

"Good. Well now that that's all settled, I guess it's time we put our plan into motion. Let's go." With one swift hand gesture to motion the two males to follow her, the threesome headed out onto the dance floor, waiting for the song to finish so that they good have a small talk with their blonde-haired friend. Ra only knows what will happen next…

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Pretty quick update, eh? I also managed to make it quite lengthy so I'm proud of myself. I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as I can. I have quite a few ideas for this story so you won't have to wait that long for updates. That's a good thing, right? Anyway, don't forget to review! Luv ya! Ja ne!_


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Unable and Unknown**

The moment that the song had come to an end, Joey and Seto had both agreed that it would be wise to take a short break. After all, neither one of them was used to dancing, especially with one another and they never knew how tiring it really was…until now that is…

"Wow, that was just…wow…" was all Joey managed to say as he looked into the brunette's now tiresome cerulean blue orbs.

Seto simply nodded as he placed his right hand overtop of the blonde's and began caressing it softly. Joey began to blush uncontrollably as he motioned for him to stop; he knew that this was neither the time nor the place to show their affection. After meeting up with Tea, Tristan and Ryou they knew that they both had to control their romantic urges, no matter how difficult it may be. The blue-eyed dragon, now looking rather upset at his lover's action, drew his hand back and folded his arms across his chest, almost as if his mood had changed to that of an irritable one. Even though it was not in Seto Kaiba's nature to show his affection in public or even privately, there was something about Joey that made him change his ways. He didn't know whether to thank the blonde or be annoyed with this fact but one thing was for sure, he strangely seemed to like the new change, whether he showed it or not.

"Joey!" a voice called out from the distance. Upon turning to face the direction in which the unknown voice was coming from, Joey was not the least bit ecstatic to see who it was. He merely gave an empty sigh and put on a fake smile to try and fool his friends into thinking that he was happier than he actually was.

"Hey guys," he greeted in a voice that sounded very much unlike his own; he hoped that the false cheeriness would be enough to convince his friends that everything was fine.

"So, what's up?" Tea asked casually, waiting for the right moment to pop the question that continued to plague her mind for minutes beyond belief.

"Nothing. Seto and I were just talking."

"I see. So you guys have just been sitting here the whole time?" Tea inquired curiously, raising an eyebrow as she spoke.

"Pretty much. We did get up to walk around for a little bit but that's about it." Joey was not looking to tell his friends about his and Seto's relationship. Even though they had known each other for quite some time, he still didn't know how they would take it and he wasn't about to take any chances.

"That's it?" It was at that moment that Joey could no longer hold in the urge to spit out how he really felt; not about the relationship but about the whole conversation in general. He was getting rather annoyed with Tea trying to beat around the bush; what part of, "I don't want to talk about it" didn't she understand? It was starting to drive him to insanity…

"Listen, nothing happened, at least nothing you need to know about so just stop trying to stick your nose into other people's business!" This comment made everyone's eyes widen to the size of saucers. They were all shocked at Joey's sudden outburst, including Seto.

"But Joey I…"

"No Tea, I've heard enough; what goes on in my life is my business, not yours. I thought you had changed since we first met but I guess I was wrong; you're still the girl that loves to butt into other people's lives. Can't you just stick to living your own life for once instead of trying to control the lives of others? Is that really too hard?"

"But I just…"

"Please, just leave. I need to be alone…" Seto looked over to his lover, his eyes now filled with that of compassion and sorrow. Yes, the great Seto Kaiba was feeling sorrowful. It seems impossible but that was how he felt at this very moment. He agreed with Joey one hundred percent; he wished that everyone didn't always have to disrupt the lives of others. Why couldn't he and Joey just have a carefree relationship without people intruding on it? Could they not be happy? Could they not be together?

"Gardener…"

Tea swiftly turned her head to face that of Seto Kaiba, her eyes no longer filled with the happiness that once illuminated them. "What is it Kaiba?"

"I suggest that you and your friends leave."

"But what about…"

"I'll take care of Joey. I think he needs me now more than ever."

"You? But why you?" Now Tea was even more confused that she had been before.

"That's enough questions. Now leave before I have to escort you out myself," Seto practically demanded. The trio then decided that it was best not to argue with the CEO and left without another word. As soon as it was clear that they had vanished from sight, Seto got up from the table and walked around it to where his boyfriend was seated. He pulled up a chair next to the blonde and wrapped his arms around his lover's seemingly cold body; it was not cold on the outside, no, it was more of an emotional thing. Seto could easily tell what was wrong and tried to figure out ways to cheer him up. So far, nothing came to mind. He felt helpless; he felt as though he was not fulfilling his role in their relationship. If one was troubled, it was up to the other to comfort them. According to Seto, he was doing a very poor job of trying to lift the spirits of the blonde-haired puppy. He was putting all of the blame on his shoulders so that his lover would not have to feel like everything was **_his_** fault, a kind act but not a wise decision when it came to the brunette's self-esteem. However, that was the least of his worries; the only thing that he cared about at this particular moment was if his boyfriend was going to break away from his current depressive state.

"Joey?" No response. That was when Seto nudged Joey's arm lightly. This gesture got a tiny grunt out of the blonde; it wasn't much but at least it was something. "Joey?"

"Huh?" Upon lifting his head from its current position, which was on the table, resting on his arms, the blonde looked to his lover and yawned. "What is it?"

"Were you sleeping?" Seto flashed a bright smile, hoping to receive one in return.

"No," he stated simply without as much as a tiny smile. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Everything…" Joey sighed.

"Everything meaning?"

"You're starting to sound like Tea," Joey retorted irritably as Seto merely smirked at that comment.

"So that's what is bugging you…"

"Maybe…"

"Maybe?" It seemed as though the conversation was going nowhere, yet in reality the couple was slowly getting down to the core of the problem.

"Just what I said. Now can we get out of here?" Joey asked as he motioned for Seto to let go of him so that he could stand up. Seto did so and stood up from his chair only a mere few seconds after his boyfriend. They both nodded to each other and headed towards the exit/entrance to the club, walking hand-in-hand as they went. They received numerous stares from the many teenagers around them but they both managed to ignore them and continued on their way. Once outside, they looked around for any sign of the limo that had dropped them off earlier. At first glance, nothing could be seen, but then, Joey spotted the vehicle parked not too far from where they were standing. As they continued their light, brisk walk to the limousine, the duo looked at one another and smiled. It seemed as though Joey was no longer depressed…at least it didn't look that way from the outside. Seto knew that he was still feeling rather upset about the whole incident with Tea, Tristan and Ryou. He knew that the blonde didn't want to pick a fight with his friends, it just all kind of…slipped out. He didn't mean for it to happen, it just did. Now he was paying the consequences for his actions…actions that were not meant to be shown…

Upon approaching the limo, Seto opened the door for his lover. Once the blonde-haired puppy had climbed in and across the seat to the other side, the blue-eyed dragon followed suit, closing the door behind him. As soon as Seto ordered the driver to take them back to the mansion, he motioned for Joey to move closer to him so that he could wrap his arms around him, filling him with the warmth that he needed. The blonde felt at ease within his arms…as though he never wanted this heartfelt moment to end… Unfortunately, a few minutes later the limo pulled into the all-too-familiar driveway and came to a sudden halt right in front of the garage. As much as he didn't want to move from his current position, Seto exited the vehicle first, motioning for Joey to follow after him. Once the two had both got out, Seto shut the door and gestured for Joey to take his hand and walk with him up to the door. They didn't need to knock or even ring the doorbell, seeing as how it **_was _**Seto's house. Besides, they didn't want to wake up Mokuba and Yugi, knowing full well that they were probably sound asleep.

When they walked in, they made sure to be extra quiet as they removed their coats and shoes. As soon as that task was complete and out of the way, they silently headed up the stairs to their appropriate bedrooms; they definitely needed the sleep, what with everything that had happened that night.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, both teens leaned in for a goodnight kiss; it was short, yet sweet. When they pulled back, they said goodnight and headed their own separate ways, Joey to his room and Seto to his. It had been a long night and they were both looking forward to tomorrow. They had both agreed, without words, that this night had been the best night of their lives, if you omit the incident that occurred before the duo left the club. However, they were slowly overcoming that issue and before long they had almost forgotten it completely…at least Seto was. Joey, on the other hand, couldn't help but think about it. He regretted talking the way that he did to his **_friends _**and wished that there was some way he could make it up to them, yet the more he thought, the less ideas he could come up with. Eventually he decided to figure it all out in the morning; he didn't think well at night and when he did it often led to more problems; at least if he thought about in the morning it would avoid any further trouble. So for now, he would get some sleep and deal with the issue when he was truly ready…ready to tell the truth…

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Well, how was it? Did you all like the little spin I put on this chapter? I know I did. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought. Luv ya! Ja ne!_


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: Sleepy Puppy and Slumbering Dragon**

The next morning, Joey woke up to the sound of numerous voices coming from downstairs. He knew them all too well, figuring that it was Mokuba and Yugi playing video games, on Mokuba's insistence of course. He smiled at that thought as he worked his way up and out of bed, prepared to face yet another day of what he hoped would be a tolerable one.

On his way down the stairs, taking his time as he went, the only thoughts running rampant through his mind were those of the previous night. He didn't know why he had acted the way that he did; it was like something inside of him went off like a time bomb and caused his sudden outburst. That night was haunting him mercilessly and he only hoped that his friends would forgive him and accept his relationship with Seto. It seemed hopeless but he wouldn't know for sure until he actually managed to talk to them personally. He eventually came to the conclusion that he would wait a day before confronting them; this way he could give not only them a chance to maul things over but himself as well.

"Morning," Joey greeted Seto who was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast set in front of him. There was another plate placed beside him, which was obviously reserved for the blonde. "Did you make this?" he questioned after settling down into his chair.

Seto nodded. "Yes. I was up early this morning and decided to make breakfast. Mokuba and Yugi have already eaten and are playing video games in the living room."

"Yah, I'm aware of that. I heard them talking all the way upstairs," Joey commented before taking a few bites of his eggs. The couple ate in silence for what seemed like at least a half an hour before they finished and got up to put their dishes in the sink. After the table had been cleared off and all the dishes were placed into the dishwasher, the two teens decided to relax in the living room and watch Mokuba cream Yugi in Phantasy Star. This, however, was expected seeing as how the raven-haired child had much more experience playing this particular game than Yugi did. Then again, when was Mokuba **_not _**playing video games? This was an exaggeration but certainly made one point clear: there was hardly anyone in the whole of the mansion, let alone his school, that could beat him at any game, most especially the one that he was currently playing.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Seto asked as he took a seat on the sofa and motioned for Joey to follow. The blonde did just that and moved into a comfortable position where he was leaning up against his lover's left arm.

"I don't know, whatever you want to do is fine with me." If he could help it, Joey did not want to move from the state that he was currently in. Seto simply smiled and turned to watch his brother and Yugi.

"If you want to call your friends and…talk to them, you know that you're welcome to do so." Seto tried to make his statement sound less obvious than it actually was. He didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to the subject, especially around two people that had no idea of the incident that went on last night.

"It's okay, really. I was planning on calling them tomorrow to see how things were going."

"I see. Well, just so know, the door is open so whenever you're ready…"

"I know." It was at that precise moment that Mokuba had **_finally _**decided to turn off the Gamecube. He had told the three that his hands were beginning to cramp up and that was the reason why he had decided to take a break for a while. Seto gave his brother a little lecture about playing too many video games but the pre-teen merely shrugged his shoulders and skipped into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Yugi, on the other hand, stayed in the living room to keep Seto and Joey company, even though they were hoping to have a little bit of time for themselves.

"So, how was the night out?" Yugi asked as he took a seat on the couch next to the couple.

"Not bad. We had a pretty good time," Joey replied.

"That's good. Mokuba and I had quite an **_interesting _**night…"

"Oh? How so?" Joey inquired, raising one eyebrow in question.

"Well, Mokuba **_insisted _**we watch horror movies and have pizza. I agreed, seeing as how it didn't seem that bad…to the untrained eye, that is. During half of **_Jeepers Creepers 2 _**we kept hearing noises coming from various places in the house and when we heard someone opening the door, we quickly turned the TV off, grabbed the pizza and dashed up the stairs to Mokuba's room, closing and locking the door behind us." Seto and Joey almost broke out laughing when they heard that but managed to control themselves.

"Uh, Yug?"

"What?"

"That was us coming in the door…"

"What? What do you mean?" Yugi seemed a little shocked by Joey's response to his story.

"Yah, that was Seto and I coming in after we came back from the club. I thought that I heard loud footsteps running up the stairs but I was not sure if it was real or if I was just imagining things."

"So…it was only you guys?" Yugi gulped down a breath of air that he had been apparently holding in for quite some time. "Well Mokuba will be happy to hear that."

"Don't tell him," Seto spoke, revealing a sly smirk.

"Huh?" Both Joey and Yugi wondered just what kind of plan Seto had under his sleeve.

"I said don't tell him. I've always wanted to fool him and now's my chance. Yugi, don't tell him what Joey just told you. Wait until I give you the signal to let you know that the time is right, okay?" Yugi hesitated for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. He then headed into the kitchen to grab himself something to eat. Once it was clear that he had vanished out of sight, the couple used that opportunity to their advantage. Seto moved into a lying position as Joey snuggled up close to him, his hands resting within his lover's beautiful brown locks. Joey eyelids eventually gave way, as did Seto's and before they both knew it, they were sleeping soundly together, like two peas in a pod.

When Mokuba and Yugi came out from the kitchen, they noticed the two sleepy teens curled up next to one another and smiled.

"I always knew that they were best suited for each other," Mokuba beamed happily as Yugi nodded in agreement. "They may not always show it but it's most certainly evident in everything that they do together."

"How true that is," Yugi replied and then added, "I never thought that I would live to see the day where Joey and Kaiba actually got along, not to mention date. I guess that I proved myself wrong."

"You and me both," Mokuba chipped in with a tiny giggle. "But for now I suggest that we let them get some well-needed rest. I don't think that they got to bed until late last night so it's only fair that we let them catch up on all the sleep that they missed."

"I agree. Why don't we head upstairs for a bit? It will give us something to do until they wake up," the spiky-haired teenager suggested.

"Sure! Let's go!" With that said, or more so exclaimed, the two males rushed up the stairs and into Mokuba's bedroom where they would spend a good portion of their day. It was the best place to be at moment, seeing as how they didn't want to wake up the two sleeping beauties. They looked so sweet all curled up on the couch and lying beside one another that it would be quite inconsiderate of someone to rouse them from their slumber.

Sweet dreams puppy…sweet dreams dragon… May your minds be filled with nothing but thoughts of one another and where the rest of your lives will take you…

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **I just had to end this chapter with something sweet and I'm glad I did. I don't know about all of you but this chapter just tugged at the heartstrings. I think Seto and Joey would look so cute sleeping together! So kawaii! I wish I had a camera! Oh well, I have a vivid mental image of it in my mind so it's all good. Anyway, please review. Luv ya! Ja ne!_


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: Apology Accepted**

An hour or so after the dragon and his puppy had fallen into a deep and peaceful slumber, they were awakened by the sound of someone pounding on the front door. They opened their eyes so that they looked like tiny, narrow slits and groggily moved into a sitting position; their hair was an absolute mess, but they didn't care. The only thing that they were interested in was finding out just who was so eager to see them…if it was them they truly wanted…

"I'll get it," Seto stated before getting up off of the couch, wishing that he didn't have to move a single muscle to do so. Wishful thinking Seto…

"Tell them to go away," Joey grumbled as he fell back onto the couch and resisted the urge to go back to sleep.

"Oh I'll tell them more than that." That was definitely not a good sign; I feel sorry for whoever is on the other side of that door…

When the brunette managed to make his way down to the entrance hall, the sound echoed even louder than before.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered more to himself than to the being on the other side of the white oak door. As soon as he thrust it open, he was shocked, appalled and slightly annoyed to see just who was standing before him.

"Great, it's the geek squad again. What do you dweebs want now?" he demanded of the trio that was standing before him.

Tea was the first one to speak up, seeing as how the others didn't want to say anything that might offend the great Seto Kaiba. The female brunette merely rolled her eyes and sighed, knowing that if she wanted to get anything done, she would have to do it herself. "We wanted to come see Joey and…apologize to him…"

Seto cocked one eyebrow. "You want to apologize?"

"Yes, isn't that what I just said?" Tea inquired, playing with the question of whether or not the CEO had heard her correctly.

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Okay, this is getting really annoying. Can we speak to Joey or not?" Tea now seemed to be getting just as forceful as Seto Kaiba himself, which was definitely saying something. Even though she didn't look the part, she could be very intimidating when she wanted to.

Seto rolled his eyes into what seemed like the back of his head. "You can visit with him for fifteen minutes and no more, understand?" Each of the three teens nodded their heads in agreement as Seto motioned for them to come in and take their shoes off. Once that task was out of the way, the male brunette pointed them in the direction of the living room where Joey currently resided. He only hoped that the blonde was not asleep…

When the trio made their way to where Joey was curled up into a tiny little ball on the couch, they all sighed happily in unison. It was the cutest sight any of them had ever seen; Tea even mentioned the fact that she wished she had a camera. It was definitely a picture perfect moment…

"Joey…" Tea whispered slowly into his ear. The blonde could here her voice ring through his mind but to him it sounded as though she was speaking in syllables; to him, it sounded more like **_Jo-e_**.

"Joey…" the girl repeated, this time a little faster so that he could comprehend just what she was actually saying. Everyone's eyes were now focused on the blonde, hoping that he would awaken from his slumber at any minute. Fortunately, they eventually got their wish…

The blonde's eyelids began to gently flutter open as he let a tired groan escape his lips. When looked up at his surroundings, he was almost taken aback in shock.

"Wh-what going's on? What are you guys all doing here?" he asked as his minor stuttering almost got the best of him.

Tea, as usual, was the first one to answer his question. "We're here to…apologize for what happened last night…"

"What are you…" Joey paused in mid-sentence as he got thinking about the incident at the club. He started to remember how his friends kept pestering him to tell them about his and Seto's relationship; now he knew why they were here. The only decision he needed to make now was…could he forgive them, and most importantly, could he tell them the truth?

"You guys really came over here just to apologize? But why?"

"Well, we thought about it and figured that if there is something that you don't want to tell us, we shouldn't try and pry it out of you…"

"What are you talking about Tea? You were the one who…" Tristan's words were cut short when Tea stepped down hard on his foot. "OW! What did you do that for?" he exclaimed while jumping up and down on his **_uninjured _**foot, holding the other one in his grasp.

A wide smirk made its way onto the brunette's slightly tanned face. "Anyway, I just wanted to say, on behalf of all of three of us, we're sorry." At the sound of the last two words, Seto merely grunted and Joey smiled for what seemed like the first time since he had got back from the club. Sure he enjoyed spending quality time with his lover, just lazing around the house, sleeping soundly together, but there was more to it than that. Ever since they had got home late the previous night, nothing could take his mind off of the encounter he had had with his friends. Now that they had apologized to him, he was surprised at how quickly the problem was getting resolved. However, no matter how hard he thought about it, he kept thinking that he was forgetting something; he just couldn't put his finger on it…

"So is that all you have to say, Gardener?" Seto asked in a voice that sounded **_almost _**polite. It was hard for the CEO to act in a kind manner while around the so-called **_geek squad_**. He had disliked them all from day one and wasn't planning on making friends with them anytime soon. Yugi was an exception, seeing as how he had grown very close to Joey over the years that they had known each other. So if the two teens were going to be dating, Seto would have to accept the spiky-haired male as his own personal friend.

"Yes," Tea replied curtly before turning to take her leave.

"Wait," a small voice choked out. When the brunette turned back around, she saw her friend looking at her with saddened eyes.

"Huh? What is it Joey?" she inquired, her expression looking almost identical to that of the blonde's.

"I…I'm sorry too…" he managed to reply; it was a great relief to finally get those words off of his chest. Now if only he could tell them what was really going on in his life instead of pretending that everything is just as it once was.

"You're sorry? For what?" Tea questioned further, wondering just what he was going to say next, if anything at all.

"Back at the club," he stated matter-of-factly. "I shouldn't have reacted the way that I did and for that I'm sorry. I should have known that you guys were only curious and concerned for me."

"That's what friends are for," Tea chirped happily, a large smile now plastered across her very features; Joey returned the emotional gesture, as did Tristan and Ryou. Seto merely folded his arms across his chest as usual and muttered a few inaudible words under his breath. Eventually, not quite a minute later, Seto decided to interrupt their little **_happy moment_**.

"Okay, now that everything is back to normal, I suggest you three get going. I have a lot of work to do today and I don't wish to be interrupted. So if you don't mind…" The CEO then motioned with his hands for the trio to escort themselves into the entrance hall and eventually out the front door. As soon as they had vanished from sight and the sound of door closing was heard, Seto turned to his lover and smiled lovingly, which was rare for one such as him.

"Now that they're gone…" The brunette than moved in closer until both their lips were touching. Joey deepened the kiss as he felt Seto slide his tongue gently into his mouth, intensifying the kiss even more so. After a brief moment of two, they pulled apart from one another and gazed deep into each other's bright, glistening orbs. They wanted to stay that way forever, but knew that it was next to impossible.

Joey then decided to break the silence, as much as he wanted to keep the scene as it was. "Well…" He couldn't think of how to finish his sentence. He had no idea what they both could do now that they were alone once more. Could they just sit and watch TV or a movie together? It was simple, yet relaxing nonetheless. "Do you…want to watch TV for a little while?" he finally suggested. Seto merely nodded his head in agreement as they sat down on the couch and curled up next to one another, just like they had done earlier. Seto turned on the television set and began flipping through the channels, hoping that there would be something worth watching. At long last, they stopped on channel 47 where **_Everybody Loves Raymond _**was playing. They leaned back and snuggled even further into each other's warmth. It was the perfect moment…and they were the perfect couple…

However, what they weren't aware of was that two curious pairs of eyes were watching them. Mokuba and Yugi were surveying them from the stairs, no doubt on Mokuba's insistence and couldn't help but smile at the sight before their very eyes. Love was definitely in the air for the unlikeliest pair…


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven: Rivals Equal Lovers**

The following morning, Seto and Joey woke up only to realize that they were both sprawled out next to one another on the couch. They looked to each other and heaved a long and tired sigh; moving seemed impossible but it was also inevitable. The brunette pushed himself up into a sitting position as the blonde copied his very actions. Remaining in their new, not quite so comfortable position for what seemed like minutes beyond belief, Mokuba skipped happily into the room, a wide grin plastering his features; Yugi trailed behind him looking as though he had not slept in a week.

"Hey Mokuba, hey Yugi," Joey greeted, turning around to face the two males behind him.

"Hi! What's up?" the raven-haired child exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air.

"Mokuba…"

"Yes? What is it Seto?" Mokuba asked, still sounding more chipper than usual.

"Were you into the chocolate, or any sugar-related product for that matter?" Seto questioned his younger sibling sternly as he turned around and made sure to maintain eye contact at all times. This would prevent Mokuba from lying straight to his elder brother's face.

"Not that I'm aware of," Mokuba replied, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Seto merely raised an eyebrow in question.

"It's true," Yugi piped up as Seto sent a seemingly harmless glare his way. "He just woke up like this…" It was then that it became apparent that Seto desperately wanted to hit his head on something hard. He despised every morning that his brother woke up a sugar-high; it caused nothing but trouble. If you think that Mokuba is a handful when he's not so hyper, energetic and constantly bouncing off the walls, try dealing with him on mornings such as this one. Let me tell you, it's not fun at all. I feel for Seto, I really and truly do.

"Seto?"

The brunette quickly shook his head. "Never mind. There's really nothing to do in this case except to let nature takes its course." Everyone sighed heavily in unison, hoping that this was one of those rare moments when the great Seto Kaiba was wrong. Unfortunately, when it came to Mokuba's hyperactivity, Seto was never wrong.

"I guess you're right," Yugi complied and then decided to change the subject. "So, what do you guys feel like doing today?"

Joey leaned back, sinking even further into the many cushions on the couch. "Nothing…" came his tired reply. He knew that they shouldn't have stayed out as late as they did but they had lost track of the time, what with all the fun they were having…at least, they **_were _**having fun until the encounter with his friends. However, that was in the past and what the couple was really concerned about was their future, which they hoped would be shared with each other…

"You don't feel like doing anything?" Yugi inquired quizzically.

"With me being so tired right now, I don't think so," the blonde repeated, trying not to let sleep get the best of him. His eyelids were threatening to close but he managed to keep them open simply by force.

"Okay, well whenever you're ready and feeling up to doing something, let me know." Yugi flashed a bright smile in the blonde's direction.

"Don't worry Yug, I will," was the New Yorker's reply. (I love his accent!) With that said and done, both Yugi and Mokuba headed back upstairs to the young child's room. On the other hand, Seto and Joey decided to make up for lost time and catch up on their beauty sleep.

"I guess you had the same idea, huh?" Joey asked his lover, staring into his deep, yet tiresome cerulean blue orbs.

"I guess so." Seto grinned and stretched out on the sofa, motioning for Joey to do the same. The blonde did just that, not hesitating in the slightest bit and curled up into the brunette's cozy embrace. They snuggled lovingly for what seemed like an hour before they eventually passed out, drifting slowly into dreamland…

* * *

Meanwhile in Mokuba's room…

"You can't beat me Yugi! I'm the best at this game!"

"I can try!"

"Trying is not good enough! You have to actually beat me!"

"Hey, I beat you once when we were playing downstairs!" It was true; Yugi had practically creamed Mokuba at Phantasy Star once and only once…then his winning streak was cut short when the raven-haired child beat him three times in a row.

"That was once!" Mokuba argued back. "I can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime!"

"Can you beat Joey?" Yugi raised an eyebrow as he spoke, knowing full well that Mokuba would be clueless as to how to respond to his question.

"I've never played this game with Joey!" he responded almost a little too quickly.

Yugi smirked triumphantly. "Then I guess you can't necessarily beat anyone, now can you?"

Mokuba was speechless for Ra only knows how many minutes before he finally managed to speak. "Well, the next time I see him, I'm challenging him to a game!" he declared victoriously, even though he had not won anything as of yet.

The spiky-haired teen rolled his eyes as a sarcastic gesture. "Okay, but let me warn you now, Joey is a pro at video games and there has been nobody that can defeat him thus far. Do you really think that you can beat someone like him?"

"Maybe…"

"Well then, like you said before, the next time that you see him you can challenge him to a game and we'll see who wins."

"You're on!" Mokuba exclaimed rather loudly. Yugi simply shrugged his shoulders and grinned. Soon enough, however, they were back to playing their game, Mokuba winning of course. I can't wait until the day when he and Joey both play Phantasy Star. Who will win? The war is difficult, but in the end only one person can claim victory over the other…

* * *

Downstairs, Joey and Seto were still huddled together on the couch, looking as though they were never going to move from their current position. This was one of those times that you wished you had a camera…

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening and closing was heard, yet the couple was not aroused from their slumber.

"Hey, I'm back!" a voice, apparently female called from the front hall. It was Brianna who had just arrived back from her date with Gabriel. The two teens have been going steady for two months and their relationship seemed to showing no signs of strain. That was definitely a good thing in Brianna's eyes; she loved Gabriel with her whole heart and never wanted to leave his side. However, even though she still hadn't figured out whether it was just infatuation or if it was actually love that drew them together, one thing was for sure: they most definitely looked like the perfect couple.

"Hello?" she repeated, hoping to receive an answer in return. When no reply came, she decided to head into the living room. Upon her entrance into the room, she wasn't too shocked to see the sight before her.

"They look so cute," she uttered quietly under her breath. Seeing as how she didn't want to disturb the two teens, she grabbed a blanket off of the back of the couch and lightly covered them up before taking her leave into the kitchen. As she made it into the doorway, she turned to look at the couple once more. It was almost like she couldn't take her eyes off of them. _They truly are made for each other… _she thought mentally as she continued on her journey into the kitchen.

* * *

An hour or so later, it was almost lunchtime and the couple had still not yet awoke from their deep sleep. Brianna walked into the silent room after she had finished preparing a hardy, nutritious meal for everyone and sighed.

_Are they going to sleep all day? _She pondered to herself, playing with that question over and over again in her mind. The answer was inevitable, yet most certainly could be changed. She smirked slyly before making her way over towards the sofa where the couple currently lay. She carefully and quietly leaned over the back of the piece of furniture and began poking both teens incessantly. When the couple had shot up into a sitting position, they looked around to see just who had interrupted their **_perfect moment. _**They scowled in annoyance when they realized that it was Brianna who was standing overtop of them, smirking victoriously.

"Why did ya wake us up?" Joey demanded while rubbing the sleep from his half-lidded eyes; his arm felt unnaturally tender due to Brianna's constant gesture.

"Lunch is ready. I made it myself so you better come and eat," she replied, continuing to flash her bright smile that could lighten up even the gloomiest of days.

Seto sighed in discontent, knowing that his whole day had now been officially ruined. He was looking forward to spending the whole day with his lover, just simply cuddled up next to one another and enjoying each other's company. This did not sound like the Seto Kaiba we all know and love (depending on who you are) but, as mentioned before, his relationship with the blonde had changed him for the better.

"What's wrong Seto?" Brianna inquired, looking quizzical.

The brunette hesitated for a moment before replying; he did not want to say anything that could possibly backfire on him in the future. "It's nothing, let's just go eat," came his final reply as he got up off of the couch and headed into the kitchen, leaving Brianna and Joey alone with their thoughts about Seto's sudden behavior.

"What do you think has got into him?" Brianna wondered aloud, hoping to receive a helpful answer in return.

"I don't know but I think it's best to just let him be for awhile. He could definitely use some time to reflect on everything that has happened thus far," Joey stated matter-of-factly. Brianna merely sighed and nodded her head, wishing that there was something she could do to help her friend.

"So there's nothing that we can do to help?" she asked, voicing her thoughts aloud.

"The way I see it, there's nothing that can be done…right now anyway…" As the blonde's words began to trail off into the distance, Brianna motioned for him to get into the kitchen; after all, she didn't want all the food she had prepared to go to waste. Joey did as he was told; if there was one thing that he knew about girls, it was that you never argue with them because you'll never win…

Once everyone was settled in their rightful spots at the table, Brianna brought out her delicious, gourmet lunch. Mokuba and Yugi had come downstairs to join them since they made it quite clear that they were getting rather hungry. The entire meal consisted of many scrumptious appetizers, entrees and desserts. There was a large platter of fruit with a serving of what looked like whipped cream in the center for dipping, plenty of vegetables with herb and spice dip and different types of gourmet cheese. For the main course, there were many different kinds of sandwiches to choose from and homemade beef stew. For dessert, which of course was Joey's favourite part of the meal, there was cherry cheesecake and ice cream. With everything that was laid before the four teens, being Seto, Mokuba, Yugi and Joey, it looked as though they were at a buffet restaurant.

"Wow Brianna, this looks great!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing a handful of fruit and scooping up a wad of the whipped cream dip. "I don't think I've ever seen so much food in my life!" It didn't take long for the blonde to **_dig in_**, whereas Mokuba, Yugi and Seto took their time eating all that they had put on their plates.

Brianna looked slightly embarrassed as she turned a pale shade of pink. "Thank you Joey, I'm glad that you like my cooking." She then turned to the two Kaiba brothers and the infamous King of Games, ready to pose a simple question. "What do you guys think?"

"I think it's great! You're an awesome cook, Brianna!" Mokuba exclaimed, reaching over the table to grab another half of a sandwich; Yugi merely nodded his head in agreement.

"It's good," was Seto's simple response as he continued to pick at his fruit.

"That's all you have to say Seto? It's more than good! It's great!"

Joey turned his head to that of the younger sibling. "Mokuba, by any chance did you happen to watch the Frosted Flakes commercial today?" At that very moment, everyone let a small giggle escape from their mouths…everyone that is, except Seto Kaiba.

"Nope, but it does get on Seto's nerves when I imitate Tony the Tiger!"

"Don't remind me…" Seto murmured, rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers.

"Aww...you know you like it Seto!"

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"Mokuba, if you repeat that one more time, you're not going to be playing video games for a week." The raven-haired child then took that as his clue to be quiet and finish eating his lunch.

Approximately a half an hour later, when everyone had finished his or her meal, they all gathered in the living room to watch **_Ice Age 2: The Meltdown_**. Seto had just recently burned it on DVD so this was the first time that any of them had actually sat down to watch it. Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi sat on one end of the couch while Joey and Seto sat on the other end together, both curled up into each other's warm and loving embrace. The three teens sighed happily and knew that the sight before them was definitely one of the rare Kodak moments for Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler.

Who knew that rivals could make the best lovers?

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **-bows in apology- I'm dreadfully sorry for leaving you all hanging here but I just figured that this would make an excellent opening for the next chapter. I'm also sorry that I took so long to post this but school has been cramping my style. I have a test coming up in the next couple of days so I'll be stuck studying for that. But don't worry because on the weekend I'll be free to update! So until then, please review! Ja ne!_


	9. Chapter Eight

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura:** -bows repeatedly in apology- Gomen! I am so sorry for not updating when I said I would but things have been pretty hectic lately. First of all, I came down with a terrible cold that kept me bed-ridden for two days, so I wasn't really doing much of anything during that time. Secondly, I've been helping my mom around the house, what with cleaning and laundry and such. But nonetheless, I'm back with a brand new chapter so I hope you enjoy it! I tried to make it half-decently long to make up for the delay. So without further ado, read on! _

**Chapter Eight: Planning**

While the group of carefree teenagers continued to watch their movie in peace, they were completely unaware of what was happening elsewhere…

* * *

In another area of Domino City, one that would not be considered the friendliest of neighborhoods, Mr. Wheeler sat in his poor excuse for what he called a home. For what seemed like forever, he persisted in telling himself that it was his son who had made his whole life a living hell…or at least, that was how he saw it...

"When I get my hands on that good-for-nothing little punk, he'll regret everything he's ever done..." While pacing the floors of his rickety, old apartment building, the only thoughts running through the elder man's mind were those of revenge. He wanted to be the one to **_punish_** Joey, for it was his son after all. The possibility of getting caught and being thrown in jail didn't scare him in the slightest; he had beaten and abused the teen for many years without ever having been suspected of anything. He figured that this time would be no exception.

A few younger men, who looked to be in about their late twenties to early thirties sat amongst the one that appeared to be their **_leader_**. They all reeked of the combined stench of alcohol and cigarette smoke; the house was a complete disaster area and the walls, which were once a beautiful, pearl white had now faded to a dull, lifeless yellow. Trash was littered all over the floor and there were shards of broken glass strewn everywhere. With one quick glance, you could easily tell that no one in the group cared to clean up after themselves. They seemed to enjoy living life as it was; it was as if they had lived that way forever. In fact, some of them probably have…

"So boss, what did ya want us ta do about the kid?" The man who had popped this question and broken the silence took another swig of the beer in his hand. He looked to be rather scrawny, yet had quite a bit of muscle around his arms and legs. Even though he didn't look the part, there was almost no doubt that he could take down a man twice his size.

Mr. Wheeler took another drag on his cigarette before replying. "You remember me tellin' ya that the boy ran away with some other punk?" The man nodded his head wordlessly. "Well, what I want you guys to do is to track 'em down. Find out where they're hiding and bring 'em both back here. That's where things get interesting…"

"What are you plannin' on doing with 'em, boss?" one of the larger men questioned as he downed the last of his beer.

"You'll see in time, but for now, just go and find them."

"Sure thing boss." With the whole plan agreed upon, the men, being four in total, left without another word. Even though they had had no idea of where to start looking, Domino City was small town and it would not take very long to track someone down. If only the couple knew about the event that was about to unfold…

* * *

"Joey?" The brunette tried to shake his lover awake, yet he was not having the best of luck; trying to wake Joey was like trying to stop cats and dogs from fighting, it just wasn't going to happen. "Joey!" Amazingly, raising his voice directly into his ear did not have a very high success rate; the only thing he got out of the blonde was a loud groan and him rolling over onto his other side. Seto heaved a heavy sigh; he was running out of ideas and he needed to talk with his boyfriend right away. He had just had a dream and could not figure out why it happened. He figured that if he talked to Joey about it, everything would make sense…at least, he hoped it would. Seto Kaiba was never one to ask for anyone's help no matter what the circumstances, but this was different. The dream that he had had seemed as though it was depicting the death of someone very close…and he hoped that that someone was not who he was thinking of…

"JOEY!" That certainly woke up the blonde, yet it was not Seto that had said it. When the CEO turned his head towards the sound of the voice, he saw Mokuba's small figure standing directly in front of him, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Yugi was positioned next to him, looking just as tired as his blonde-haired friend. Brianna had vacated to the kitchen after the movie was over to prepare something for dinner.

"Mokuba, what are you doing?" the elder Kaiba inquired questioningly.

"I wanted to know if you and Joey were up yet," the raven-haired child chirped happily.

"We're up all right…" the blonde moaned as he pulled his face out of the pillow that it had been currently lying in. He sat upright and began rubbing the sleep from his eyes, yawning as he did so. He wished that he could have had five more minutes of rest and relaxation, but he knew that in a house inhabited by Mokuba Kaiba, that was not an option.

"Great! Now you can take me to the park!"

"Wait, hold on a minute Mokuba. Who said that we would take you to the park?" As Seto spoke those words, the child's smile turned into that of a pouting frown.

"Well…" He looked to his feet and then back up to his older brother. "Since we haven't been out lately, all of us I mean, I just thought that we could do with some fresh air," he stated innocently. The brunette rose his index finger in mid-air and opened his mouth to speak.

"Mokuba, we already went to the park before, remember?"

"But Seto, that was a long time ago!" Okay, so that was an exaggeration but in order to convince his elder sibling, the young child had to pull a few strings.

Seto looked over to Joey who, at first glance, appeared to still be half asleep. The CEO than turned back to his brother. "I don't think it would be such a wise idea seeing as how **_he _**doesn't look overly energetic." Using his lover's tiredness as an excuse was a lame one, even he had to admit that, yet it seemed as though it would work…at that time anyway…

Joey yawned and stretched his arms way up in the air. "It's okay, I'm fi…" His sentence was cut off by another loud and weary yawn.

"You're fine?" Seto raised an eyebrow at the blonde's statement. "I don't think you're fine if you look as though you're going to pass out any minute. You'd better stay here and get some well-needed rest. Sorry Mokuba but it doesn't look like Joey is fit to go to the park today; maybe some other day, okay kiddo?"

"But Seto!" the pre-teen whined, turning the ever-so-lovable puppy dog eyes on the CEO. This was the one thing, and possibly the only thing that Seto Kaiba could not resist giving in to, except for Joey of course.

"No buts Mokuba. I'll take you to the park tomorrow, if Joey is feeling up to it."

"Fine…" The young Kaiba hung his head low so that his bangs covered his eyes as he walked up the stairs to his room, Yugi in tow. Once they were both out of sight, the brunette turned back to his lover and gestured for him to lie back down.

"You really should get some more sleep puppy, you look awful," Seto commented as he reached over to brush the blonde's bangs out of his face. Joey merely smiled as his eyelids began to flutter open and closed.

"I guess…you're right…" Joey replied between random yawns. Eventually, however, he fell into a deep sleep, snoring all the while. Seto smirked before he stood up and headed upstairs, hoping to get some of his work done that he had been neglecting to do for a few days. He had just been so caught up in spending time with Joey that he completely forgot about his duty to his company. He prepared to fulfill that duty now, even if it took him all night. If he managed to finish everything that needed to be completed, that would give him more time to spend with Joey and that was time that was never wasted.

* * *

Meanwhile in an abandoned alleyway somewhere in the middle of the city, Mr. Wheeler's group of cronies were all gathered together and discussing their plan of action to kidnap Joey and his **_savior_**, as the gang often referred to the one that helped the blonde escape his father's clutches.

"So, what's the plan?" one of the more well-built men asked as he leaned up against the side of one of the brick buildings closing in on them.

"We find the punk, what else?" the apparent **_leader _**of the gang replied expectantly.

"But we don't even know where to start looking."

"That's why we're going to split up and track him down that way," the headman stated while folding his arms across his chest as if to look intimidating. He quickly scanned the group, stopping on one individual in particular. "Mark, you and Benny search the north end of the city while Steve and I take the south end. We'll meet back here in a few hours to report our progress. Let's move!" With those last two words spoken, or more so yelled, the foursome broke off into pairs and headed in the direction of the area that they were responsible for. Let's just hope that Seto and Joey remain safe within the mansion, otherwise they'll be in for a heap of trouble…

* * *

Meanwhile, Seto Kaiba was still busily preparing the many reports that he needed to complete for Kaiba Corp. when a thought struck his mind: he had completely forgotten to tell Joey about the dream that he had had. Then again, the blonde seemed awfully tired the last time he was downstairs so the brunette figured that it would be best to just let him sleep; he would eventually tell Joey everything that he had dreamt when he was more awake.

Suddenly, the door to the CEO's room flew open and Mokuba came bursting in.

"Seto!" he exclaimed, sounding thoroughly overjoyed.

"What is it?" the brunette replied, refusing to take his eyes off of the computer situated in front of him.

"Brianna's taking Yugi and I to the park! Do you want to come with us?"

Seto shook his head. "Sorry kiddo but I still have some work to complete and I think I've put it off long enough. Maybe we can all go to the park another day, with Joey of course. What do you think of that?"

"Yay! That would be awesome! Thanks Seto!" and with that, the raven-haired child ran from the room and what sounded like down the stairs. Seto merely rolled his eyes at his younger brother's enthusiasm; sometimes he wondered just how the pre-teen got so…hyper. Then again, when he thought about it more clearly, he didn't really want to know. He then returned to hacking away at his laptop, determined to finish the rest of his work.

* * *

In the kitchen with Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi…

"So did you tell your brother that we were going to the park?" Brianna asked while she finished packing the remaining sandwiches and snacks that they were planning on bringing.

"Yep!"

"And?"

"He was cool with it!"

"Good. Now, do we have everything we need?" Brianna looked to the picnic basket on the counter and then to the duo in front of her.

"I'm not bringing anything with me. There's enjoy stuff to do at the park as is! We'll have lots of fun, right Yugi?" Mokuba nudged Yugi's shoulder to snap him out of the trance that he looked like he was currently in. "Yugi?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Mokuba. I guess I kind of zoned out there. What were you saying?"

"Brianna was making sure that we have everything. I'm not bringing anything because there's plenty to do at the park, what with everything they have there!"

"That's true. I'm not bringing anything either. All I need is the clothes on my back and good friends like you guys." Yugi flashed a bright smile as both Mokuba and Brianna couldn't help but return the emotional gesture.

"So if that's all settled, let's hit the road!" Brianna exclaimed ecstatically as they all piled into the entrance hall where they slipped their jackets and shoes on. Once they were all set, they exited the mansion and walked over to where Brianna's car was parked, right beside Seto's limo.

"Hop in guys," the female urged while motioning for them to get in. The pair of males did just that and strapped on their seatbelts once they were properly seated. Brianna got in last and buckled up her seatbelt as well, sticking the keys into the ignition beforehand. Once the trio was **_ready to roll_**, Brianna slowly backed up out of the driveway and onto the street where they turned in the direction of Domino Park. They were definitely prepared for a day of fun in the sun! Unfortunately, they were not aware of the events soon to come. We can only hope that they're ready for anything life has to throw at them…


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine: Kidnapped**

When the trio arrived at Domino Park, Mokuba made a mad dash out of the car and sprinted over towards the playground.

"Well, looks like someone is excited," Brianna commented, giggling a little as she spoke. Yugi simply nodded his head in agreement, showing off a rather small, yet distinctive smile. The two teens both stepped out of the car at the same time as Brianna pulled the picnic basket out along with her. They started walking towards the playground area where Mokuba looked as though he was currently having the time of his life.

"Brianna! Yugi! Come over here!" he shouted from atop the monkey bars.

The dark-haired female smiled and waved her hand high in the air. "I'll be over in a little bit! I just want to get everything set up!"

"Okay!" and with that, the pre-teen went back to crawling around on the jungle gym.

Brianna turned to Yugi as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You can go over and play with Mokuba while I set up. You don't have to stay here if you'd rather go and have some fun," she said, hinting for the spiky-haired teen to go and hang out with his friend.

"No, it's okay. I'd rather stay here for a bit anyway. I'm kind of tired and I'd prefer to rest up for awhile before I go and do anything active," Yugi stated honestly, sitting down under the closest Sakura tree. He pressed his back up against the trunk and sighed deeply. Brianna smiled and took a seat next to him.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" she asked, breaking the sudden silence that had arisen between them.

"Yah…" Yugi replied distantly, looking up into the powder blue sky. There were not many clouds to be seen floating high above their heads; it seemed to be the perfect day to be outdoors. Their peaceful moment was soon broken by a high-pitched, child-like yell. Upon closer examination, Brianna and Yugi were not at all surprised to see just who was approaching at such a fast pace.

"Hey guys! Why aren't you coming over to play?" Even though Mokuba had grown up quite a bit emotionally, his playful and childish side had never once left him; he would always be a kid at heart no matter what.

"We were just relaxing, that's all. We thought that we would get some rest before going over to play with you," Brianna replied with an honest grin.

"Well, when do you think you'll be well-rested?" Mokuba was well known for being impatient, especially when it came to having fun.

"Probably after we have our lunch," was the girl's response.

"When will that be?"

"I guess whenever we all get hungry." As if on cue, Mokuba's stomach started to rumble loudly. The child quickly moved his hand overtop of it and began to blush uncontrollably. Brianna merely smiled at this emotional gesture and held back the sudden urge to laugh.

"Looks like someone is ready to eat already."

Mokuba's face reddened even more so as he let out a rather light-hearted chuckle. "Heh, guess you're right." He then sat down across from Brianna, his stomach growling more and more with each movement he made.

"Here." Brianna handed the young male an egg salad sandwich in hopes that it would quell his appetite. Mokuba took it out of her hand without any hesitation and practically shoveled it into his mouth while the duo sitting directly across from him simply looked on in amazement. Neither one of them had ever seen someone eat so quickly in their whole life…unless of course you count Joey, but then again, he always eats like every meal is his last. However, it has come to be somewhat of a natural habit for him so no one really draws much attention to it anymore; I guess Mokuba has picked up some of his eating habits.

"Is there anything to drink?" the young Kaiba asked, gulping down the last bit of his sandwich.

"Of course." Brianna then began to rummage through the picnic basket in search of some kind of beverage. When she had finally found what she was looking for, she pulled out three cans of soda: cream soda, grape and orange. "Which one do you want?" She held up the cans so that the boy could see what his options were.

"I'll take the orange, unless one of you guys want it." Mokuba glanced over to Yugi and then back to Brianna; they had both shaken their heads as if to tell him to take it. "Thanks."

"It's no problem. Yugi, did you want something to drink?" Upon turning to face her friend, she looked out of the corner of her eye and noticed that Mokuba was literally downing his soda. "You better take it easy or you'll end up choking," she warned with a serious expression plastered across the whole of her face. It was then that Mokuba finished off the last of his drink and smirked.

"Don't worry about me, I'm used to it," he stated reassuringly, gesturing to the now empty can in his hand. At that exact moment, both Yugi and Brianna heaved an outward sigh in unison.

"So, are you guys up for some fun yet?" Mokuba asked, changing the subject to a more upbeat topic.

"Well, I don't know about Yugi but I'm going to stay here and relax for a little while longer. I think I'll have my sandwich and then possibly take a quick nap. It shouldn't be that long and then I'll come and play with you, okay kiddo?" Brianna reached over and ruffled the boy's shaggy mess of raven black hair before arching her back up against the tree. She smiled curtly and took a sandwich out of the basket, yet not before asking Yugi the same question she had posed just a few minutes before.

"I guess I'll have a sandwich and a soda, if that's all right…" Yugi always acted in a shy and reserved manner, even if he was only around his friends. That was just simply his nature and everyone had grown to live with it.

"Sure, it's no problem at all. I've brought enough food for everyone and then some." Yugi couldn't help but chuckle at that comment. He knew how much Brianna loved to cook and she always made more than was needed, yet he didn't complain seeing as how everything was so delicious. Unfortunately for the spiky-haired teen, his thoughts were interrupted by the female's soft-spoken voice, asking him a question in which he had barely heard.

"Yugi? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yah, I'm fine." Yugi tried to make his sudden trance-like state seem like it had never even happened.

Brianna cocked one of her eyebrows before continuing her speech. "Okay, but I was just asking you what kind of soda you'd like…" She began to trail off, almost as if she didn't believe that Yugi was daydreaming about nothing.

"Uh, I guess I'll have grape," he responded before turning to look at the spot that Mokuba once occupied. Upon closer observance, he realized that the pre-teen had already run off back to the playground. He smiled, mostly to himself, thinking that it had been a wonderful idea to get out of the house and have some fun. He knew that Mokuba was enjoying himself, yet would probably have even more fun if Seto and Joey had come along. Unfortunately, Yugi knew that Seto's work was very important to him, just as Joey's sleep was very important to **_him_**. He giggled a little at that thought, knowing full well that Brianna would most definitely hear him.

"What's so funny?" she asked curiously.

"Huh?" He then turned his gaze back to the female sitting beside him. "Oh, it's nothing, I was just remembering a joke I heard the other day." As much as he knew that that reply was beyond lame, it was the only one he could come up with on such short notice.

"Oh I see…" She believed that story almost as much as she did the first one that he had told her when he was caught daydreaming. However, she merely just shrugged it all off and handed him his sandwich and grape soda. She then took a bite out of her own sandwich and sipped her cream soda.

Eventually, the duo had finished off their lunch and were now ready for a little nap. They leaned back even further against the Sakura tree behind them and slowly closed their eyes, drifting ever-so-slowly into what they hoped would be dreamland…

Yet what they didn't know was that they were being watched…

"We got 'em in our sights," a tall, burly man dressed in all black spoke into the walkie-talkie he currently held in his right hand. A distinct, yet somewhat crackled voice could then be heard coming from it.

"Good, now when they least suspect it, go over and grab 'em. Once you've got 'em nabbed, radio me and state your location; Steve and I will be there quicker than you can say kidnapped." A deep chuckle then sounded through the walkie-talkie before it cut out. The ones referred to as Benny and Mark turned off the hand-held radio and ducked behind some bushes, waiting for the right opportunity for when they would strike.

On the other hand, Brianna and Yugi were now dozing peacefully, completely unaware that they would soon be in grave danger.

As soon as the two male figures realized that the teens were fast asleep, they began to slowly creep up on them, making absolute sure that they were not being watched themselves. They did not want to take any chances and be seen by some unwanted individual. So without any further hesitation, they approached the sleeping duo. They turned their heads towards one another and grimaced, knowing that the perfect opportunity was laid right before their very eyes. Carefully, the one called Benny scooped Brianna into his arms whereas Mark took hold of Yugi. Afterwards, before they could be spotted, the pair ran back to where they had been standing earlier. However, to their unfortunate displeasure, a voice called out behind them.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" This apparent male voice was enough to wake both Yugi and Brianna from their slumber.

"Huh? What's – Hey! Put me down!" Brianna demanded of the man who held her in his grips.

"I don't think so little girl. You two are coming with us whether you like it or not…"

"Well then you don't know me very good!" With that said, Brianna lifted her leg up and kicked Benny square in the face, causing him to drop her and fall to his knees. Fortunately, Brianna was quick to react and landed ninja-style on the ground; those were the perks of taking karate lessons during her childhood and teenage years. Yugi, on the other hand was still struggling with trying to break free from the man holding him captive in his arms.

"Let me go!" he shouted, kicking his feet every which way.

"I don't think so…"

"Well I do!" Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Brianna came charging behind Mark and swung her foot into that of his back. He then fell into the same position Benny had been forced into, dropping his victim as he went down. Yugi landed hard on the ground and almost immediately began massaging the right side of his body as if wondering if he had broken anything. Brianna rushed to his aid along with what looked to be Mokuba.

"Yugi! Are you okay? Can you sit up?" The teen didn't feel like answering any of Brianna's questions at the moment; he simply nodded his head as a way of assuring her that he was all right.

"Are you sure? You look like you could use some medical attention; perhaps we should head back to Seto's…"

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere…" A deep voice could be heard coming from what sounded like the entrance of the park. Everyone looked over towards the direction of the voice and were completely terrified to see just who was standing before them; well, at least Yugi, Brianna and Mokuba were terrified, the others seemed to be somewhat relieved. There were two more men, looking just about as tough as the two laying before the teens, yet the expressions on their faces told everyone that they meant business.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Brianna demanded of the men.

"It means that you'll be coming with us…" It was then that the men lying on the ground pushed themselves upward and rose into a standing position. Soon enough, they moved towards their supposed allies and looked as though they were prepared to strike at any moment.

Brianna then looked to Yugi and Mokuba and whispered. "What are we going to do? How are we going to escape these guys? There's four of them and only three of us. We're totally outnumbered so there's no way we can try and make a run for it without getting caught." She heaved a long and heavy sigh, hoping that her friends had some kind of plan to get them out of this mess.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to make a plan up as we go along. Let's wait for them to make the first move and we'll go from there," Mokuba suggested in a low whisper.

Brianna hesitated for a few seconds before replying. "I guess we could give it a shot…"

"Just what are you guys doing ova there?" one of the men demanded of the teens.

"Nothing, just waiting for you four to do what you're planning on doing. We haven't got all day, ya know…" Brianna replied smoothly as she placed her hands firmly on her hips as if to make herself look even the slightest bit intimidating.

"Heh, you've got a lot of nerve for a little girl…" Benny retorted. "Ready guys?" All four men nodded their heads in unison and ran straight ahead towards the trio. The group of teens prepared themselves for the worst and what they thought would be ahead. When the men got close enough, each one attempted to grab one individual. Each teen fought them as best and as long as they could before they eventually began to tire out. However, when that happened, the men were ready. Benny took hold of Brianna for what was now the second time, Mark swept Yugi up off of his feet and Mokuba was grabbed from behind by one of the other men whose identity was unknown to that of the three friends. The man who was left ran for the car parked behind Brianna's and started it up, gesturing through the window for the others to hurry up. When they all made it to the vehicle, the three men tossed each teen roughly into the backseat, squishing them all together on one side. They got in afterwards, two of them in the back and one up front with the other male who had taken over the driver's seat. As they sped off, neither teen knew where they were headed. They only hoped that Seto and Joey would soon discover that they weren't coming home…

* * *

_**Mysterious Mistress Kura: **Bad cliffhanger, I know. However, I have a very good reason for doing so. I wanted to leave this open for the next chapter to add a little suspense to the story. Believe me, it will be worth it! So until next time, luv ya all! Ja ne!_


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten: Coming For You**

Meanwhile, back at the Kaiba Estate, everything was just like it had been when Yugi, Mokuba and Brianna left for the park earlier that day. Seto was still hacking mercilessly away on his poor, defenseless little keyboard, eager to finish a highly crucial safety report for his company. Joey, on the other hand was still dozing peacefully on the sofa downstairs, his dreams filled with what was probably chocolate, candy and other tasty treats. If there was one thing that the blonde loved more than Seto it was most definitely food…food of any kind, food that tasted good, food that…well, you get the picture.

Suddenly, he was awakened from his slumber by the phone ringing almost directly into his ear. He grumbled inaudibly as he pushed himself into a sitting position, wondering just who had the bright idea of placing the phone on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Don't they know that people actually **_sleep _**here?" Joey muttered while reaching over to pick up the phone. When he positioned it close enough to his ear, he pressed 'Talk' and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Hello?" When no answer came, he spoke again. "Hello? Who's there?" Finally, a faint yet audible could be heard coming from the other end of line. It sounded rather muffled yet Joey could just barely make out the words.

"Is this the Kaiba residence?"

"Yes but…who is this?" Joey's first thoughts were that this was some kind of telemarketer out to persuade him to buy something completely and utterly useless. The blonde, however, was not going to be tricked into buying a product that he would most likely never end up using. If this person really were trying to sell him a product of some sort, he would simply tell them that he was not interested and hang up. If not, well, he would contemplate a new idea when the time arose.

"Look, if you're selling something…" Before he could finish his statement, he was interrupted by the gruff-sounding voice on the other end.

"Have you noticed that you're missing a few of your friends?" This confused Joey; why would this person be asking if he knew if any of his friends were missing? Tea, Tristan and Ryou were all out on their own, he knew that much and Yugi, Mokuba and Brianna were…well, he didn't know where they were…

After what seemed like a full minute of two, the blonde answered the apparent male's question with another question. "What are you talking about? Do you know anything about where my friends are?" To this question he meant Yugi, Mokuba and Brianna. He wanted to know where they were, seeing as how he was never told by anyone that they were going anywhere. If they were in trouble, he needed to know…

"As a matter of fact, I do…"

"You do? Tell me, where are they?" He tried to make his voice sound as calm as possible, although it was rather difficult regarding the present circumstances.

"Heh, you'd like to know, wouldn't you?" There was a brief moment of silence before one last word rang through the blonde's ears. "Joey…" His eyes than shot open with a terrible sense of shock running through his veins.

"How do you…how do you know my name?" he inquired cautiously.

"Oh, I know more than just your name…"

"Okay, 'dis is startin' to freak me out. Tell me who you are!" he practically demanded of the mysterious voice; it only than began to laugh maniacally. "Stop laughing! Who are you?"

The laughter than officially ceased before the man spoke up again. "I can't tell you who I am, but what I **_can _**tell you is that I work for someone you are all too familiar with…" This wasn't helping Joey at all. If he was going to find out who this guy was, he needed more information then what he was given; he needed answers and that was what he was going to get.

"Look, I don't have time to be playing guessing games! Tell me who you're working for so that we can end this little conversation!"

"Getting frustrated little Joey?" That did it; the blonde was finally on the verge of unleashing his anger upon the man.

"What did you just call me?" he demanded fiercely, fire building in his once calm, chocolate brown orbs.

"You heard me…" Obviously this man did not know how hot the blonde's temper could get. Oh well, he'll find out sooner rather than later…

"You just called me little, didn't you?"

"What if I did? You can't do anything to stop me; you don't even know where I am…"

"I can find out! Ever heard of **_tracing phone calls_**, buddy?" This was one of those times that Joey Wheeler was glad that he was dating the rich and famous CEO of Kaiba Corp.; he could easily trace the phone call with Seto's high-tech phone system and find out just where this man was hiding.

The man simply chuckled at this. "You really think you're smart enough to figure that out, dog boy?" Okay, now if you thought that Joey's temper was hot enough, that comment just set it to over boiling. Everyone knew that the blonde **_hated _**it when others referred to him as a dog; the only exception was when Seto called him puppy, but that was only because the two were dating.

"Okay, you've pushed me too far…" Joey said through clenched teeth, yet the words still rung through the man's ears clear as a bell.

The male on the other end pretended to act dumbfounded, almost as if he had no idea what the blonde was talking about. "Why is that?"

"You know why…" The **_act_**, which was put on by the older male was not playing over too well.

"You know what you said, so that is why I'm not going to repeat it…" His temper was rising dramatically by the minute; if you were at all smart, you would head for the hills right about now.

"What, dog boy?" After those two dreadful words were repeated a second time, the only sound that could be heard on Joey's end was the sound of teeth grinding against each other.

"Listen…" drawled the blonde's voice; it sounded almost as if it was dripping with venom. "You tell me where you're keeping my friends and I won't have to do anything drastic…" Using the tone of voice that he was, that statement could scare almost anyone half to death.

"And what if I don't?" He was definitely pushing too many buttons and soon he wouldn't have any buttons left to push.

No voice came from the blonde's end; there was no noise at all, except for some very faint breathing sounds. Soon enough, however, words were spoken.

"I'll kill you…" This was an awfully big threat coming from our favorite, blonde-haired puppy, but his anger had reached its peak and he was willing to do anything to get his friends back home, safe and sound.

"Heh, you don't have the guts." According to Mr. Wheeler, Joey was not capable of committing murder or he would have done it a long time ago…to kill his own father… However, no one knew the blonde that well, except for his lover, Seto Kaiba and his younger brother Mokuba. There was also Brianna who had known the blonde for a wide span of many years. They grew up together, shared many secrets and, in short, had an unbreakable friendship. Yugi Motou also shared a special bond with the blonde, ever since they first become friends in their freshman year at Domino High School. This man knew nothing of the blonde's life so he had no right to talk about such matters.

"You think I don't? Well, I can prove you wrong…" Normally, this man was not afraid of idle threats, yet this situation seemed different. For some reason, he thought that Joey was actually going to go through with what he was saying. He stood silent for a moment, not knowing what to say in response.

"I…" he stuttered, trying to find the right words, which were unfortunately being too stubborn. However, in about a minute's time, he was finally able to speak properly. "I…I'll tell you…"

"Tell me what?" The blonde's tone of voice than began to lower to that of his normal one, keeping his guard up just a little, in case the man decided to say anything that would work to his disadvantage.

"I'll…I'll tell you where you're friends are…" he managed at last.

Joey cocked an eyebrow in curiosity. "And how do I know that you'll tell the truth?"

The man opened his mouth only to close it again. "I give you my word…I will tell the truth…"

"But I don't even know you, so how do I know that you're word will be the whole truth?"

"You'll just know. But listen, I'll tell you this. If you find out that I have not told you the whole truth, I will release your friends without any hesitation, deal?"

The blonde didn't know whether to trust the man or not. He liked the idea of having his friends set free, but would the kidnapper really go through on his word if he didn't tell the truth? There was no way that Joey could find out if the male was truthful or not; he would just have to go with the flow and see where that would take him…

"Okay, I trust you, but just remember, if you don't tell the truth, you'll be in for a world of hurt…" the blonde threatened somewhat menacingly, which was not common for the young teen. However, due to the present circumstance, who could blame him?

"Don't worry, I **_will _**keep my word."

"You better…" Joey narrowed his eyes, almost as if he hoped that his gaze would burn right through the phone and into the other male's eyes.

"Again, don't worry. Now, allow me to fill you in…" The man paused for a moment or two before he prepared himself to tell the blonde exactly where he was keeping Brianna, Yugi and Mokuba. "We're keeping your friends at…" He braced himself before saying the last part of his sentence. "…your house…" These words literally sent a cold chill down the blonde's spine. He couldn't believe it; all this time he kept pondering to himself where his friends could be and they were at his house…his old house all along? He heaved a long and heavy sigh, mentally slapping himself in the forehead for being so blind. Why hadn't he thought of it before? It was so obvious and yet he had never thought of it…

"I…" Words failed him; they had failed to escape his mouth when he wanted to speak. What was he to say in this situation? When he thought about it, nothing came to mind. It was almost as if he didn't want to say anything, almost as if he couldn't say anything.

"Yes?" The voice sounded impatient, waiting for the blonde's response.

"I…" This time, he thought, he would not fail to speak. "I…okay. I'll come there as soon as I can. Don't do anything to harm my friends because if you do, I'll know and you'll regret ever laying a finger on them. Understand?"

The older male nodded physically and then replied, "Absolutely. I won't touch a hair on your friends' heads." It sounded sarcastic yet Joey took no notice of it.

"You better not…" and with that, Joey pressed 'End' on the phone and hung up. The other male did the same, only to be greeted by smirking faces all around him.

"You convince him?" one of the other males asked.

"Yep. He'll be here soon, don't you worry. Heh, he's such a sucker. He doesn't even realize that there's more than one of us." Everyone than began snickering to themselves, finding it hilarious that the blonde was so, quote on quote, **_dense_**.

"He actually fell for everything that you told him?" one of the seemingly older men questioned, glancing over towards the three teens that were currently sitting in the corner, hands tied behind their backs and mouths gagged. He then looked back to the one that he was talking to and smirked.

"Yep, every bit of information I told him, he swallowed in a single gulp."

"What a loser…" the one named Benny remarked. Brianna, Yugi and Mokuba gave each other a look of sheer helplessness and then looked back at their kidnappers; they were all joking and ridiculing Joey…and they couldn't do a single thing to stop them…

* * *

Meanwhile at the Kaiba Estate, Joey had made a mad dash up the stairs and was now standing in front of Seto's bedroom door. He hesitantly knocked and when he heard his lover voice the words "Come in", he quietly pushed the door open and stepped inside the room. Seto had barely taken his eyes off the computer screen sitting in front of him when he greeted his boyfriend with a curt, yet pleasant smile.

"What is it, puppy? I hate to rush you but I need to finish these reports for Kaiba Corp. by tomorrow and I have only just managed to pass the half-way point."

"Yes, I know how much your work means to you Seto but there's something that I really need to tell you…" The urgency in Joey's voice told the brunette that whatever he needed to say was most definitely worth listening to. He stood up from his chair and slowly made his way over to his boyfriend. When standing face-to-face with one another, the CEO wrapped his arms around the blonde and pulled him into a tight embrace. As soon as they broke apart, Joey looked up into the dragon's glass-like, cerulean blue orbs, hoping with all his might that he would be able to tell him just what was on his mind.

"What's wrong? You seem distressed…" The tone of Seto's voice was unusually caring and warm, yet to the blonde it was all too familiar. Ever since the two had started going steady, the blonde was able to penetrate the brunette's solid barrier and melt his heart of ice. It was then that Joey began to become familiar with Seto's occasional caring moments.

"Yah, I am…" the blonde-haired puppy admitted, moving his head onto that of his boyfriend's shoulder, afraid to show the tears that were now beginning to well up in his eyes.

"About what? You can tell me, you know you can."

"That's the thing, I'm not sure if I can…"

"What do you mean?" This got Seto thinking; what could be so important that the blonde couldn't even tell his own boyfriend?

Joey removed his head from his lover's shoulder. "I mean…" Could he tell him? Could he tell Seto that Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi had been kidnapped and were now forced into hiding in the house that he had once occupied? What would the CEO say when he found out? He could only hope that things took a turn for the better and not for the worst…

"You mean what?"

"Well…" The blonde took a deep breath as he prepared to say just what was on his mind. "They've been kidnapped."

"What? Whose been kidnapped?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Joey worked up the courage to tell the brunette the truth. "Brianna, Yugi…" He hesitated before saying the last name. "Mokuba…" Upon hearing that name, it was as though Seto had frozen in place; he didn't believe it, he couldn't believe it.

"Mokuba? He…" Before being able to continue, Joey interrupted the CEO with a quick nod of his head. It was then that, for the first time in what seemed like forever, the brunette looked like he was going to cry. Saddened tears began to slowly well up in his eyes and it took everything that he had to hold them back. He didn't want Joey to think that he was weak; Seto had always seen crying as a sign of weakness and it would totally contradict himself if he showed even a single tear.

"Yes, but don't worry, I know where they are."

"Where?" This question sounded almost like that of a demand, yet not even a few seconds later the brunette recoiled and changed his tone of voice. "I mean, where are they being kept?"

It was this question that the teen despised the most out of everything that was asked of him. He referred back to the questions that he had asked himself a few minutes before, contemplating on what to do. Should he just come right out and tell him or would it be easier to just beat around the bush for awhile? The answer was obvious, yet seemed the most difficult.

"They're at…"

"Yes?"

"They're at…" Joey repeated, hoping to be able to complete his sentence. "They're at…my house…"

Seto's eyes widened in both shock and horror, which was not typical of the usual expression of seriousness he normally had plastered across the whole of his face. "Your house?"

"Well, my old house to be exact…" However, without further discussion, Seto stood back from his lover and sauntered over towards the door that was currently wide open.

"Coming?"

"Huh?" It seemed as though Joey had entered a trance-like state for the few seconds that Seto had used to make his way over the doorway because the look he gave the brunette told Seto that he had had no idea what he was talking about.

"To your house, of course. We need to rescue Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi, don't we?"

"Well yes, but…" In the course of their conversation, Joey had completely forgotten to mention the fact that he wanted to go alone. He soon decided that it would be best not to say anything, for the CEO looked stressed out enough as it was. First, he had been stuck trying to meet many deadlines for his company and now this. If there was any a time that Joey could tell him, this was definitely not it…

"But what?"

Yet another moment of silence arose before a reply was heard coming from the New Yorker's mouth. "Okay, let's go." With that finally said, the couple made their way out the room, Seto shutting the door behind them. They then made their way down the stairs, through the living room and into the entrance hall. Upon putting on their shoes and jackets, the room was filled with an eerie silence as no teen wished to discuss anything with each other at that particular moment. This was a very serious matter and it had to be dealt with the utmost of caution.

When they had exited the mansion, they both made their way over to Seto's limo and climbed inside, Joey entering first on the brunette's insistence. As soon as the duo were comfortably inside, Seto ordered the driver to take them to Joey's house, telling him that he would provide the directions on the way. During the drive, which seemed to take longer than expected due to Joey's house being on the other side of town, all the couple could think about was if their friends (and brother, in Seto's case) were all right. Neither teen would ever forgive themselves if anything had happened to them…


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven: Arrival**

The ride over to Joey's house was unusually quiet. Normally, one of the teens would bring up a relevant issue or topic to discuss, yet today was different. It seemed that neither one of them wished to talk to one another until they arrived at their destination.

However, Joey eventually couldn't handle the silence anymore and decided to speak up for the first time since they had left the mansion…

"So…"

"What?" Seto replied, or more so demanded of the blonde without even shifting his gaze from that of the window beside him.

"I…um…well…"

As if reading his lover's mind, the brunette answered the question that the blonde was preparing to ask. "Look, I don't want to talk about it. As soon as we get to your house, we're going in, rescuing Mokuba, Brianna and Yugi and leaving. Got it?" Afraid to speak even one more word, Joey nodded his head in agreement and returned his attention to his hands sitting idly in his lap. Seto continued to stare out at the passing building, only to realize that they had soon disappeared and were replaced by many ramshackle apartments and run-down, dilapidated homes. The CEO mentally shook his head; he couldn't believe that he was actually going to set foot in a place like this…

_Someone better remind me to shower when I get home… _

"Stop here." The sound of the blonde's voice echoed through the brunette's ears and continuously rang loudly in his mind.

"What?"

"I said, stop here." Even though the brunette seemed to still be entranced in his own thoughts, the driver apparently heard every word because the two teens soon felt the limo come to an abrupt halt. It was then that Seto finally returned to reality and opened his door, stepping out into the bright, sunlit day, yet to him it seemed odd for there to be any light at all in such a dreary place. Joey exited the vehicle after him and walked up the few steps to his apartment without any hesitation. Seto followed him and stood at his side, his one arm wrapped tightly around him so as to show the men inside that he was willing to protect his lover from any harm that might come to him.

The door then slowly creaked open…

"Who's there?" a gruff-sounding voice demanded.

"It's Joey and a…" He could say boyfriend; these were no doubt his father's friends and if they found out that their boss' son was dating someone of the same sex, they would never let the blonde live it down. "Friend…" he finished.

"Friend, huh?" This time, the door swung open to its full extent and standing before the couple was four of the toughest-looking men either of them had ever seen, all of whom looked extremely well built. "And just who is this friend of yours, little Joey?" The blonde clenched his fists, trying to hold in the anger that was now building up inside of him. However, he managed to remain calm and answered the question quite calmly.

"This is Seto Kaiba," he stated.

All eyes became wide at this point until one of the men spoke up, breaking the sudden silence that had now swept over the group of males.

"So, this is Seto Kaiba, huh?" The man did not seem at all intimidated by the appearance of the CEO, unlike many people that came into contact with the tall, blue-eyed brunette. The only people that weren't afraid of him were those that were desperately in love with him. However, he took no notice of any of the lovesick girls that swooned over him, seeing as how he was already in love with Joey and nothing would ever change the way they both felt about one another. Nothing.

"Yes. You got a problem with that?" Seto replied, using his usual ice-cold tone of voice as a harmless way of threatening the man.

"As a matter of fact I do…" All the men then stepped aside and gestured for the two to come inside; both hesitated for a moment before obliging to their offer. Once in the house, the duo looked around and examined their new surroundings, which did not appeal to their liking at all. Joey, of course, was used to current mess that his father called a home, since he had lived there for a good portion of his life. Ever since his parents divorced and his mother took Serenity into her own care, he was left to live with the drunken idiot he was supposed to be able to call **_dad_**. But those times were over now. He had a new life, one that he was glad to be in…

"Hey, what are ya staring at punk?" Another man shouted deeply, looking over to where Joey was standing, mindlessly staring off into space. When the blonde didn't reply, the man stomped over to him, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Seto. The brunette had his arm held out in front of his lover protectively, prepared to keep the promise he had made to himself about not letting any harm come to the one he loved. The man took a few steps backwards, looking as though he was unprepared for what would have come if he had laid even one single finger on the blonde.

"You made the right choice…" At that moment, the obvious soon dawned on him. Where were Mokuba, Brianna and Yugi? Soon enough, blue eyes began to scan the room warily, hoping to find some hint to where the men were keeping his brother and friends. His gaze than fell upon three figures sitting in the corner, all clumped together and looking like they had either been abused or under-fed, if fed at all.

"Mokuba!" Seto exclaimed, his facial expression not changing from that of the one that he was wore: serious and most importantly, very formal.

"Brianna! Yugi!" Joey's enthusiasm followed only a few seconds afterward.

The three teens couldn't speak, seeing as how their mouths were gagged with cloth. Only quiet muffles could be heard, of which no words could be understood.

"Let them go!" Joey demanded angrily, his fists now trembling with rage beyond belief.

All the men then began chuckling upon hearing the words that had come from the blonde's mouth.

"Heh. Do you honestly think that we're going to let them go just because you said so?"

"Well…yah that was kind of what I was going for…" Everyone than began laughing even harder than before, everyone that is, except for Seto Kaiba. He would never laugh at the one he truly loved, unless of course he did something incredibly stupid, which was what the blonde tended to do from time to time.

"Well being all talk won't help you rescue your friends…"

"Then what do I have to do?" One of the men, who appeared to be the leader, seeing as how Mr. Wheeler was nowhere in sight, spoke up with a wide smirk plastered across the whole of his face.

"Do you really want to know?" he questioned, hoping that the blonde would retract his question. On the contrary, Joey showed no hint of fear in his eyes; he did not even show any glint of hesitation. He was determined to do whatever it took to save his friends, even if it meant demeaning himself…or worse…

Seto, on the other hand, wondered just what Joey was thinking. He knew that his lover would go to the depths of the earth just to save the ones that he truly cared about, but would he really go so far as to risk all that he had…including his life? He didn't have to think anymore. If Joey were going to try and save his friends, being the loyal boyfriend that he is, Seto would protect him at all costs. He couldn't afford to lose his only love…not now and not ever…

"Are you listening?" The man who had spoken the question just a mere two minutes ago was now growing impatient, as were the rest of his cronies.

Joey stared deep into the man's hazel orbs, which looked to have the effect of death; it was almost as if he could scare someone half to death just by looking at them. However, Joey was different. He had stared death in the face many times, most of which were with his father so nothing came as a surprise to him. Death glares meant nothing to him; in fact, he could almost laugh at them, if it didn't mean receiving a fair beating…from his father anyway… Yet now he was free; he was free from all the suffering and torture his father had put him through and from the meaningless threats he had thrown at him, which often turned into threats of cruelty. He no longer had to deal with that shit anymore; he could now wander through life with an open mind and an open heart, no longer afraid of what he once feared.

"Wheeler!" the older man snapped, inching his way ever so closer to the blonde. However, he made sure to keep some distance between them, seeing as how Seto was staring him down like a hawk, refusing to lift his gaze and turn it elsewhere.

"What?" Joey snapped back.

"I asked you a question!"

"I know!"

"Then answer!"

Joey mumbled a few inaudible words under his breath, most likely those not appropiate to be said in front of younger children. Yet this was not a kindergarten class; this was a confrontation between teenagers and older men, all of whom could give a damn about what they say.

"Speechless are we?" the man assumed, not knowing that the blonde had a plan of his own up his sleeve.

"Not on your life. You know as well as anybody else that I would do anything to save those I care about."

"So, you'd do **_anything_**?" The man cocked an eyebrow while emphasizing the word **_anything_**. He wondered if what the blonde said was indeed true; would he really do anything for his friends?

"I told you, yes. Are you deaf or just dumb?" This statement seemed to irritate a couple of the men but they just seemed to shrug it off and pretend as if nothing was said.

"Neither, but I worry about you…" the **_leader_** retorted. Seeing as how Mr. Wheeler was nowhere to be found, I guess you could call him the **_co-leader_**, seeing as how Joey's father was **_always_** considered the head of the group.

"Oh wow, such an insult…" Joey mocked, imitating a look of fear. It obviously looked fake, yet he couldn't help poking fun at their lame attempts to insult him.

"Heh, you say that now…" the man chuckled predictably and looked over to rest of his **_gang _**as his smirk widened even more so.

"Just what are you talking about?" Now Joey was growing confused. What exactly was he talking about? Were they planning on making, or more so, **_forcing_** him to do something before he could free Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi from their clutches? He only hoped that it would be something that he could handle…

There was a brief moment of silence before it was broken by one the men standing the farthest away from the couple. He stepped forward, cleared his throat and turned the neutral look on his face into one that showed a small, yet noticeable evil grin.

"We want you to…" He took a deep breath and let it out, prepared to finish the sentence that would soon determine the fate of the three captive teens.

"What?" By now, curiousity was rising quickly in both Joey and Seto. They had no idea what the men were planning, but whatever it was, they would get through it together. Unfortunately, what they didn't know was that only one of them would be able to deal with the oncoming problem…and it wasn't going to be easy…

"We want you…" Before he could finish what he was about to say, another figure appeared in the doorway. This person, apparently male, looked to be in his late thirties to early forties and was holding a beer bottle in his right hand. Joey scowled upon seeing him and Seto knew why. This was Joey's father; this was the man that he had fought, or more so roughed up on the day that Joey decided to return to his home for the last time. He hated the man almost as much as Joey did; he hated the fact that he could have been so cruel towards his son. He reminded him of Gozaburo; he didn't care about the one he was supposed to love and only paid attention to the things that interested him…and Joey was most definitely not one of them.

"To kill him…" Mr. Wheeler added as he pointed in the direction to where Seto was currently standing. Joey turned to his boyfriend with his mouth ajar. How could he kill the one he loved? It was impossible, he couldn't do it. But if he didn't do it, what would happen to his friends? Would they be killed instead? He couldn't risk that, he just couldn't. But he couldn't kill Seto either; the two may not have been going out for the longest time, but they had grown extremely close. They did everything together; they lived for each other. So what was he to do? This was the hardest decision the blonde ever had to make and no matter which way he turned, someone would end up dead…

* * *

_**Ramen Goddess: **-gasps- What's going to happen? What will Joey do? Will he make the right decision? Will someone be a victim to death? To find out the answers to these questions, stay tuned for the next chapter of **Caught In The Act**! Oh yah, and don't forget to review! I love reviews! They make me smile! Anyway, until next time, luv ya all! Ja ne! _


	13. Important Author's Note!

**Important Author's Note! **

Okay, here's the low-down with what's going on with this story. I currently have writer's block and **_no _**ideas whatsoever. I have about two pages of the next chapter written up, yet it is far from being finished. If anyone has any ideas about what should happen in chapter twelve, I would be extremely grateful if you could either e-mail me or submit your suggestions through a review. If I use your idea, I will give you credit for it. Again, I apologize for the lack of an update. Whenever my writer's block lifts, you can be sure that I will give you all another chapter to read! So until then, luv ya! Ja ne!

Lots of love,

Ramen Goddess


	14. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve: Always Have Faith In The One You Love**

"W-What?" Joey was horror-struck. How could he possibly even think about killing the one that meant so much to him? But if he didn't, Yugi, Mokuba and Brianna would all be killed; in other words, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. What was he to do?

"So, what's your decision?" Mr. Wheeler asked, an obvious sense of hatred evident in his tone of voice. "Are you going to do as we say or will risk your friends' lives?"

The blonde gulped, afraid of what to say; afraid of the consequences that were sure to follow no matter what route he chose to take. He looked over to Seto, nearly on the verge of tears. He wanted to run into his arms; he wanted to feel safe from the terror that was beginning to overwhelm him. He felt so cold, almost as though his entire world was threatening to collapse at any minute. He couldn't take it anymore; he needed to find a way out; he needed to find some sort of a sanctuary where he could live in peace forever with the one he loved. Unfortunately, there is no such place…

"Joseph!" Snapping out of his current reverie, Joey turned his head and within seconds, both father and son had fixed their gaze upon one another and refused to look away.

"Yes?" Joey retorted, somewhat arrogantly.

"I asked you a question and I expect an answer," the older male sneered as he turned his head to the side and spit distastefully on the floor.

"I know what you said; I have ears." Joey was fully aware of his sarcasm and did not show the slightest hint that he cared. He did not feel the need to converse with his father in a friendly manner; the current situation was anything **_but _**friendly.

Hiding the obvious anger that burned inside of him, Mr. Wheeler spoke in somewhat of a calm manner. "Then answer," he stated plainly.

"The answer…" Shifting his gaze to Seto and then back to his father, Joey gulped, wondering if the answer he was planning to give was the right one.

"Say yes…"

"Huh?" Joey looked around to find the source of the unidentified voice and soon came to lay eyes upon the one person he least suspected to say anything…Seto…

"What did you say?" The blonde's query was most definitely an intriguing one.

"Just do what they say…" That was not the answer Joey expected to hear. Why would Seto want Joey to kill him? Was it because he wanted to save his brother and the others? Was he willing to sacrifice his own life for theirs? All these questions and more confused the blonde. What was he to do? Should he listen to Seto and do what he says? If he did that, the consequences would be dire. If he didn't, his friends would suffer; he wasn't about to gamble with his father's words.

"Seto I…"

"Ahem." Joey groaned and redirected his attention back onto his father.

"What?"

With his one eyebrow twitching, Mr. Wheeler cleared his throat and prepared to speak. "We're all waiting to hear your answer. So, what is it going to be? Are you going to listen to your friend or will you make your own decision?"

While trying to reason with himself in finding a possible solution, Joey moved over towards the couch and flopped himself down on it. Placing his head in his heads, he felt a few tears trickle down the side of his face. He couldn't take it anymore; it was impossible to win this fight. Nothing he could say or do would help him emerge victorious. He was stuck. However, it was then that he felt a gentle hand rest upon that of his right shoulder. When he looked to see whom it was that was standing behind him, he wasn't the least bit surprised with what he saw.

"Seto?"

Almost as if he were reading the blonde's thoughts, the blue-eyed brunette lowered himself to an almost crouching position behind the couch and whispered softly into his lover's ear. "Listen, I have a plan but you will first have to comply with your father's orders if it is to succeed." Not knowing if he had heard right, Joey turned around, only to come face-to-face with his crystal-eyed lover.

"What?"

"You must act as though you are complying with your father's orders. Once everything is in place, my plan will be set into motion. Understand?" With a simple nod of his head, Joey got up off of the couch and sauntered over towards his father, keeping at least a couple of feet between them at all times.

"So, have you decided what you're going to do?" Mr. Wheeler asked for the umpteenth time as his patience was wearing thin, fast.

"Yes…"

"Hm?" Joey's reply seemed to startle the group of men; they were not expecting to hear what they did.

"What was it that you said?" Mr. Wheeler inquired further.

Disliking the need to repeat himself, the young blonde heaved a heavy outward sigh and prepared to answer his father's question.

"I said yes…"

Mr. Wheeler chuckled lightly to himself and flashed his undeniable trademark smirk. "Very well, if that is what you choose," he spoke in an eerily calm voice. However, Joey was not frightened in the least. He had had to deal with his father on such occasions that were much worse than this, so anything less felt to be nothing more than just a simple conversation.

As Joey closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, he felt something hard being thrust into his stomach. On instinct, he grabbed a hold of whatever the object was and when he looked down at it, he realized that he was holding what looked to be a simplified handgun. His eyes immediately widened in shock; this was not what he had expected. If Seto really did have a plan to get out of this mess, was he prepared for something of this caliber? The blonde certainly hoped that he was, otherwise things were only going to get worse…

"What's wrong little Joey? Scared?" one of the men standing to the left of Mr. Wheeler mocked.

Joey furrowed his brow and glared at all the men, wishing for them all to just drop-dead right there and then. He couldn't stand all the mental torture that they were putting him through; he just wanted to escape from it all. Why couldn't he just live a normal life for once and not have to deal with all of his father's shit anymore? No, that would be too easy; either the gods were testing him or someone was out to get him. That was the way he saw his life and it had not changed since the time he had first moved in with his father when his mother and Serenity left to go live in New York City. Yet ever since he had met and fell in love with Seto, things changed for the better. He developed a more positive outlook on life because he was finally with someone that cared for and loved him with all their heart and soul. Sure it sounded corny, but it was true. He couldn't help wishing that he were back at the Kaiba Mansion with Seto, just curled up on the couch with one another as they had done in the past. That was a definitely a moment in which the blonde would treasure for the rest of his life.

"Wheeler!" The sound of his father's gruff voice snapped the teen back into reality, even though reality was not somewhere he wanted to be right now.

"What?" Joey practically spat in response.

"You were asked a question, so answer!"

Looking as though he were in some kind of a daze, he stared into his father's own chocolate brown orbs and shrugged his shoulders inertly. "What?" He was only pretending to act dumbfounded; he knew exactly what his father was talking about.

"If you don't quit acting as you are, you'll regret ever setting foot in this house…" Mr. Wheeler seethed angrily. However, this did not frighten Joey in the least. He was used to his father's idle threats, in which most of them were never put into action.

"Oh, really?" Joey responded rhetorically.

"Really…"

"And just what makes you think that I'll believe you?" As if almost on cue, the elder blonde pulled out a second handgun, one that was significantly larger than the one that Joey held firmly in his hands. Joey gulped, knowing full well what would happen if he questioned his father further.

"Heh, I knew that would get your attention," Mr. Wheeler stated followed by somewhat of a half-hearted chuckle.

In an attempt to withhold his anger, Joey kept his fingers wrapped around the handgun, tightening his grip even more so, yet being careful so as not to accidentally pull the trigger.

Lowering his head so that his eyes were hidden from view beneath his bangs, Joey spoke, his voice filled with the least amount of emotion. "Let's just get this over with…"

Smirking, his father replied, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Now point that gun at your friend and let's end this once and for all…" Mr. Wheeler then stuffed his handgun back into his coat pocket, hidden from view.

With some hesitation, Joey nodded his head in affirmation and pointed the weapon at his proposed target: Seto Kaiba. He really did not want to do this. Hell, he would do anything **_but this. _**However, he needed to save his friends from his father's evil clutches. If anything happened to them, he would never be able to forgive himself…

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Mr. Wheeler asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "Hurry up and kill him boy."

As much as he hated being called a "boy", Joey simply decided to just shrug off his father's comment and focus back on the present situation. Even though he had no idea what he was going to do, he knew that he was going to have to make up his mind one way or another.

"I said, hurry up…" the older male scowled menacingly.

"Yah, yah…" Joey replied without the slightest hint of fear in his voice. He then turned to face his lover and sighed. Looking deep into the brunette's cerulean blue orbs, the blonde knew that he would not be able to hurt him. In such a short time, the two of them had been through so much together, not to mention the fact that Seto was the first person to love Joey for who he was as an individual. It was the same way with Seto, even though he often refused to show it.

While reminiscing about his and Seto's relationship, Joey came to the conclusion that he could not even attempt to kill the one he truly loved. If he did, who would be there when he needed a shoulder to cry on? Who would cuddle with him when he wanted to be held? All their memories would be for nothing. He couldn't let that happen; he wouldn't let that happen. No matter what the cost, he would protect all the ones that he loved…even if it meant risking his own life in the process…

"Joey…"

Upon hearing the voice of his koi, Joey snapped out of his current trance-like state and floated back down to reality. Eyeing the brunette closely, he noticed something different, something unusual. The expression on his face…he didn't look like the same Seto Kaiba that everyone had come to know in one way or another. He seemed completely opposite to what he originally looked like. He didn't look to be that cold-hearted, ruthless CEO that most people tended to loathe; he looked more like his brother. The eyes…it was the eyes that gave it away. The way they shone made Joey want to cry; not tears of sorrow, but tears of happiness. This was the first time that the blonde had ever seen his lover's eyes sparkle like that. It was as if the brunette felt more for Joey than just pure **_love_**. But what was it?

"Joey?" Seto repeated.

"Yes? What is it?"

Looking into that of the blonde's innocent, chocolate brown eyes, Seto knew that it was not going to be easy to tell him what must be done.

"You…" he stuttered.

"What?" Joey inquired thoughtfully.

"You…" It was then that, without much of a warning, Seto spat out all of his internal feelings. "You have to kill me. You may not have believed me the first time I said it, but you must believe me now. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Smirking as if nothing was wrong, Seto closed his eyes and began to lower his head, prepared for Joey to pull the trigger. However, that was not what the blonde wished to do. He trusted Seto, that was a given, but how could he know that the brunette had such a surefire plan up his sleeve? His stomach was twisting itself into knots just thinking about it…

"Just hurry up and kill him already!" Mr. Wheeler barked angrily. "I don't have time to wait around! If you don't kill him soon, I'll be the one to do it!"

Joey clenched his teeth together and growled lowly. What right did his father have to force him to complete a task that he did not wish to do? Sure he needed to rescue his friends, but he could at least be able to do things at his own pace.

"Go ahead, Joey. I'm ready whenever you are…" Seto spoke monotonously.

Fearful of what was soon to come, Joey's hands began to tremble, as did the handgun. It was impossible for him to lock onto a single target because he could not stop shaking. Even if he did pull the trigger, he was afraid of what he would hit. The bullet could strike anyone in the room…including Seto or his friends…

However, Joey eventually began to calm down and pointed the weapon in the direction of his koi. He really hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but he figured that he might as well trust the one that he loved. After all, Seto had never once lied to him before all of this happened, so why wouldn't he be able to trust him now?

"I'm…sorry Seto…" As soon as Joey pulled back on the trigger, the front door flew open as Seto dodged the bullet and nearly flung into…

"Tea! Tristan! Ryou!" Joey exclaimed, ecstatic to see his friends.

"You're late," Seto spoke with a slight sneer.

Tea scoffed. "Yah well, at least we showed up, didn't we?"

"Uh, guys?" Joey intervened, yet no one seemed to hear him.

"You could have shown up earlier. If you were any later, I probably wouldn't be here right about now," Seto replied crossly.

"Guys?" Joey cut in once more but to no avail.

"Well I'm sure the **_all-powerful _**Seto Kaiba could have came up some ingenious plan to get out of this mess," Tea argued.

"GUYS!" Joey yelled in frustration as every single person in the room turned to look at him.

"What is it Joey?" Tea asked politely, acting as though there wasn't anything wrong with the current situation.

"I don't think that this is the best time to argue! I suggest that we get out of here and fast!"

"Joey does have a point. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to stick around here for another minute," Tristan pointed out. However, before the group of teenagers could make their narrow escape, a couple of Mr. Wheeler's cronies moved in front of the door so as to block their only chance of escaping.

"Heh, it doesn't look like you kids will be going anywhere for awhile…" Mr. Wheeler chuckled lightly to himself.

"Oh yah? Well we'll just see about that, now won't we?" With that said, Joey motioned for his friends to gather together in a circle so that they could discuss their plan of action.

"So what's the plan?" Tea questioned curiously and Joey whispered softly so that only they could hear.

"Sound good?" Joey added.

"Yep. Now let's get this show on the road!" Tristan exclaimed as they all broke apart.

"Okay, on the count of three…one…two…THREE!" Joey yelled as half of the group charged in the direction of Mr. Wheeler and the other half flung themselves towards the males who were still guarding the front door.

Soon enough, after much punching and kicking, attempting to gain their passage to freedom, Joey and the others were victorious in the end. Unfortunately, things weren't quite so easy…

Each and every single one of Mr. Wheeler's **_partners in crime _**were lying unconscious on the floor…all except for one person…Mr. Wheeler himself. He was slightly injured yet could still manage to stand on his own two feet. As he stood in front of the group, his gaze shifted immediately to that of his son. He despised Joey more than anyone could imagine. After everything that had happened, from Joey running away from home to this, the elder blonde couldn't stand the sight of his own flesh and blood. He wanted to rid the earth of his good-for-nothing son once and for all, no matter what the cost may be.

"You…" Mr. Wheeler snarled.

Joey gulped yet managed to remain calm. "What?" he snapped back.

"You…are not and never will be…MY SON!" he roared while making a mad dash for the blonde-haired teen. With his fist out and ready to strike, Mr. Wheeler did not plan on missing his target. However, before the two could collide with one another, Seto stepped up and blocked his attack. Mr. Wheeler was pushed back by the force of the brunette's own fist against his stomach. The elder man landed on his feet, yet was now panting heavily due to the heavy blow that he had taken. Seto, on the other hand, had not moved from his current position, both fists and teeth clenched in anger.

"Don't you **_ever _**come near Joey again because if you do, next time, I won't be so generous…" By now, Seto was breathing just as heavily as Mr. Wheeler. No matter which way you looked at it, you could tell that the brunette was indeed pissed. If there was one thing you didn't do, it was mess with the people that he truly and deeply cared for. There weren't too many people that the CEO had a binding relationship with, but the people that did were extremely lucky. Joey was the first person that had loved him for who he was deep inside and he respected him for that. Joey didn't care that he was Japan's richest, teenage CEO…he loved him for **_him_**. He couldn't let all of their memories go to waste…he had to save Joey from his monster of a father, once and for all.

Joey's father merely cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, and what'll do to me if I don't leave him alone?" It was that that had pushed the brunette over the edge. Scowling with more ferocity than that of a tiger, Seto ran at Joey's father and literally began throwing punches every which way. Mr. Wheeler was able to dodge a few of them, but most of them locked on target. When Seto took a brief moment to rest, Mr. Wheeler took that opportunity to charge at him full force. However, the CEO was too quick and dodged the attempted attack just a few seconds before flesh and flesh collided. Upon landing back on his feet, Seto turned a hard glare onto the elder Wheeler, which clearly read, "Back off before I do something drastic…"

Even though it was most doubtful that Joey's father could actually defeat Seto Kaiba, he refused to give up. Seto really didn't want to use more violence than need be, but if it boiled down to it, he would have to do what was necessary.

"Get out of my way..." Joey's father growled menacingly; Seto was not fazed in the least.

"No," the brunette stated rather bluntly. "I'm not going to let you lay another finger on Joey. I have placed the responsibility upon myself to keep him safe from harm and I'm not going to go back on my word." Joey was slightly taken aback when he heard those words coming from the CEO's mouth. He had never heard anyone say such things about him; Seto was the first one. The only people that swore to protect him were his friends, but that was a given from the day that they first met. This was different. Someone other than his friends and outside of his family actually cared for him. He was literally left speechless; he knew there was a reason that he and Seto were together and now he had finally found it…

"Fine then, if you won't move, I'll just have to force you out of the way!" Again, Mr. Wheeler charged straight for Seto, missing him by a long shot. Just as the elder man's fist was about to make contact with the brunette's flesh, the CEO stepped aside, pulling Joey along with him. This action caused Mr. Wheeler to go charging directly into the nearest wall. As soon as his body made contact, he slumped to the ground in a heap, unconscious.

"Heh, too easy…" Seto gloated.

"Seto?" Joey piped up.

"Hm?" The brunette shifted his gaze to that of his lover and replied, "What is it?"

"T-thank you…" the blonde stuttered nervously.

"Thank you? For what?" Seto questioned curiously.

"For everything," was Joey's response as he leaned into his boyfriend's chest, dropping the handgun to the floor; luckily it didn't go off. Seto merely smiled and wrapped his arms around his koi. Now they could finally enjoy each other's company without being interrupted by anything or anyone. Well, almost anyone…

"Okay, as much as we know that you two love each other, I suggest we get out of here. This place is starting to give me the chills…" Tea said as she wrapped her own arms around herself as a method of comfort.

"Yah, Tea's right guys. Besides, don't you think that we should help them three?" Tristan suggested, pointing a finger to where Brianna, Mokuba and Yugi were tied up. It was then that realization suddenly dawned on both Seto and Joey.

"Oh, yah! I almost forgot!" Joey exclaimed as a large sweat drop streaked down the side of everyone's faces.

"How could you forgot about us?" Yugi demanded, motioning for someone to hurry up and loosen the ropes.

"Uhh…" Joey scratched his head while thinking of an answer.

"Never mind…" Yugi sighed. "Just get us out of here!"

Soon enough, all three teens were finally free and were now preparing to head back to their homes where they could finally relax.

"Well I guess I better get going. I'm supposed to make dinner tonight and I'm already way late," Tea said as she started down the street.

"Okay. See you later!" Yugi exclaimed while waving his hand enthusiastically.

"Bye!" Tea called back.

"I guess I better head home too. You coming Ryou?" Tristan asked as he turned to face his British friend.

"Yep," Ryou replied happily. "See you later everyone!"

"Bye!" everyone chorused together.

"Well I suppose it's best we get back to the mansion. What about you Yugi? Are you coming back with us for a little while?" Brianna inquired.

"Well I…don't want to be a bother…" Yugi replied shyly.

"Don't worry! You won't be a bother! We'd love to have you over, right Seto?" Brianna chirped.

"Hmph."

"I'll take that as a yes," Brianna smiled as Yugi returned the emotional gesture.

"Okay, I'll come over. But I can't spend the night. Grandpa said that he wants me home tonight so that I can go with him to the market tomorrow morning."

"That's fine. I understand." So without any further ado, Seto quickly whipped out his cell phone and called his limo driver for a ride home. Within ten minutes, the vehicle arrived and everyone piled in, anxious to get home for some well-deserved rest.

* * *

_**Ramen Goddess: **Phew, that was a long chapter. But then again, I did make you guys wait quite a long time for this update. So, how was it? Did it meet your standards? I sure hope so. :)_

_**Shout outs:**_

_**Dragonlady222: **Thank you very much for your suggestion. I was thinking about using Yami, but then I decided to give Tea, Tristan and Ryou some credit. They deserve some recognition, don't you agree? _

_**LadyVirgo1956: **Thank you for your suggestion! When I first read your review, it gave me some ideas. I didn't kill Joey's father, but I don't think he'll be coming after Joey anymore. Do you not think that Seto gave him and his cronies quite a scare? If I were in Mr. Wheeler's place, I definitely wouldn't want to mess with Seto Kaiba. :P_

_**Gbheart: **It's okay that you couldn't come up with anything to help me. Writer's block can often be a royal pain in the butt. But I do hope that you enjoyed this chapter after the incredibly long wait that I made you suffer through. :P_

_The next chapter will hopefully be coming soon. I will try not to make you wait as long as I did for this chapter. So until then, please review! Luv ya! Ja ne! _


	15. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen: An Intimate Moment**

After all that had occurred just moments ago, all everyone wanted to do was to just relax and enjoy each other's company. Mokuba and Yugi were playing video games, Mokuba being the victor of course, Brianna was cooking dinner and Seto and Joey were up in Seto's room talking about everything that had happened that day.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Seto questioned for about the umpteenth time that hour. Even though it seemed to be way out of character for the brunette, he had really been worried about the blonde's safety. He wouldn't have put it past Mr. Wheeler and his cronies to put Joey in any pain. However, there was no way he was going to let any harm come to his puppy, not then, not now and not ever.

"Yes Seto, I'm sure. I'm fine, just like I was when I walked in the door," Joey replied with a hint of playful sarcasm. Just then, almost unexpectedly, Seto moved closer to the blonde and wrapped his arms gently around his hips. Pulling him in closer to himself, Seto prepared to lean in for a passionate kiss. However, their intimate moment was soon broken when the door burst open and Mokuba rushed in.

"Seto! Seto! Seto!" the raven-haired child exclaimed excitedly as he began bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Seto sighed and pulled away from his koi. "What is it Mokuba?"

"I JUST BEAT DARK FALZ ON ULTIMATE MODE! Yugi even watched me do it! Come and see!"

"Maybe later Mokuba. There are a few things I would like to discuss with Joey…alone. I'll go and check it out afterwards, okay kiddo?" Stepping forward towards his brother, Seto ruffled the young pre-teen's hair and smiled.

Looking up into his older brother's cerulean blue orbs, Mokuba was glad to see what he did; having Joey live with them really was affecting Seto's personality in more ways than one. He then returned the emotional gesture and, with a wave of his hand, ran out of the room and back into his own. As soon as Seto was sure that he was out of sight, he returned all of his attention back onto Joey. Moving closer to embrace him, he, again, wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist and pulled him in closer. Copying his actions, Joey placed his own hands on Seto's hips. As they both closed their eyes and leaned in closer to one another, they eventually locked lips and shared a deep, yet tender kiss. It seemed to go on for hours, yet after about five minutes they finally broke free.

"Wow…" was all Joey could muster before collapsing onto the bed.

"Heh, you can say that again. But I guess you proved me wrong, Wheeler. I never knew that puppies could kiss so well," Seto commented slyly, adding a wink.

"Hey!" Joey shouted in protest. "But you're right…" he added with a small, yet noticeable smirk. The brunette flashed a smile back and sat down on the bed next to his koi. The minute that Joey sat up, Seto immediately pushed him back down and moved so that he was now sitting on top of the blonde.

"What the-?" But before Joey could question any further, Seto practically threw himself into yet another passionate kiss, this time slipping in his tongue as a surprise. Joey just seemed to go with the flow, looking as though he was thoroughly enjoying himself. As Seto began to dry hump him, Joey began moaning pleasurably, motioning for the brunette to continue.

Pulling back from the kiss, Seto drew back and looked into his puppy's chocolate brown eyes and smiled. "How does it feel?"

"Like a dream…" were the only words that Joey saw fit to describe such a heavenly moment.

Seto smirked. "I figured you'd like it…" And with that, he leaned in closer and became engrossed in yet another romantic kiss. While still moving his body up and down that of his koi's, Seto began to snake his hand down to that of the blonde's zipper. He smirked evilly and, upon discontinuing his pleasurable actions, began to slowly undo the blonde's pants. Joey, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he didn't even become aware of it until he felt Seto sliding his pants off, little by little.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Joey stuttered nervously, struggling to sit up.

"What does it look like?" Seto replied rhetorically before adding, "Don't you want me to make you as comfortable as possible?"

"Well yah, but…"

"Okay then, so it's settled." Without giving Joey a chance to respond, Seto pulled his pants right off of him and threw them on the ground. Smirking to himself, Seto readied himself in the correct position, which would typically look like you're about to straddle the person, and began to steadily hump the blonde. As much as Joey was embarrassed, he couldn't help but moan in contentment.

"Mmm…don't stop Seto…please…" were the only words that were audible when the blonde spoke.

"I don't plan on it," the CEO whispered softly into the blonde's ear as he leaned forward and gently slipped his tongue into that of his lover's mouth. While continuing to moan softly, Joey slowly moved his arms up and around Seto's neck and deepened the already fervent kiss.

After what seemed like forever, even though it had only been a couple of minutes into the kiss, Seto pulled back and continued to straddle the blonde-haired puppy, this time even harder than before. Moaning even louder, Joey secretly wished that this moment would never end. He had never felt this much at ease before; it was almost like he was in heaven and Seto was his angel. His life couldn't be any more perfect…

"Seto…"

"Hm?" The brunette stopped what he was doing, slipped off of the blonde and casually huddled up to him. "What is it puppy?" he asked in a soft whisper.

Turning his head to face his crystal-eyed lover, Joey looked deep into his eyes and gently spoke three of the most heartfelt words any human can say. "I love you."

Without even thinking twice, Seto smiled warmly and replied back, "I love you too." With that said, the couple began to shift around a little bit and snuggled up even closer to one another, the tips of their noses touching. Moving in for one last kiss, Joey began to stroke Seto's cheek with his right hand. The brunette couldn't help but blush, even if it was out of character for someone of his nature. A couple seconds later, the two lovers were enthralled in yet another warm and tender kiss. Nothing could break them apart; they were inseparable from now until the end of time itself…

"Seto! Joey!" Mokuba exclaimed rushing into his elder brother's room, only to catch the two teens almost intertwined with one another. "Uh…big brother? Did I catch you guys at a bad time?" It was then that both the blonde and the brunette broke away from each other and sat up on the bed, their hair a complete mess.

"It's okay Mokuba," Seto reassured. "So what did you want me for?"

"Well, I just came to see if you were still coming into my room to see the damage I did to Dark Falz. Yugi is on the verge of beating the boss himself right now! You've got to come and see! Both of you!"

"Well…" Seto began before Joey suddenly cut him off in mid-sentence.

"We'd love to Mokuba. In fact, we were actually planning on going to see your game in a few minutes anyway. Right Seto?" Joey turned to his lover and winked one eye as if to tell him to just go with the flow.

"Uh, yah, that's right," Seto replied in an unconvincing tone of voice.

"Okay then, come on!" Mokuba urged as he motioned for the couple to follow him. They did just that, all the while thinking about how they could be spending more quality time together. But it didn't really matter because in the end, spending time with your friends and family is just as important as being with that 'special someone' in your life.

* * *

_**Ramen Goddess: **Well? How was it? I certainly hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I know I did. I just really wanted to write a yaoi scene and I knew that all you reviewers would probably love me if I did. So nonetheless, here it is. Sorry that this chapter is so short though. I would have made it longer but that last sentence makes a good ending one. Also, I would like to point out that this story is going to be coming to a close. I have a couple of ideas about how this story should end, but I want to leave the final decision up to you readers. Here are the choices:_

_- Everybody's thoughts and feelings about Seto and Joey's relationship will be discussed in more detail in this chapter. I may also decide to throw in a quick, little intimate scene somewhere in between. _

_- Seto and Joey share their past romances with each other and discuss how their relationship today has changed them both for the better._

_So anyway, those are the choices. Please vote on either #1 or #2 in your review. Arigatou! So until next time, luv ya'll! Ja ne!_


	16. Author Apology

**Author Apology**

I'm SO very sorry for not getting around to updating this story. However, there are a couple of reasons why I have not found the time to sit down and write. One: I am in my first year of college (Currently taking Early Childhood Education) and, at the moment, I have about four projects on the go. So yah, it's been hectic lately. Two: I just recently got hired at Wal-Mart so I've been busy with that as well. In other words, writing has not been my number one priority. I do, however, have the chapter written out in my notebook thanks to a camping trip I had been on awhile back. Now it's just a matter of transferring it all to the computer. So whenever I find the time, I'll do just that. Again, I apologize for making you wait, but I will do my best to update whenever my schedule allows it. So until then, I hope all of you keep on reading **_'Caught In The Act'_**!

Lots of love,

Ramen Goddess


	17. Chapter Fourteen

_**Ramen Goddess: **Happy Thanksgiving all! Here's a chapter that will hopefully add more delight to your already joyous holiday!_

**Chapter Fourteen: Now and Forever**

As Tea paced the floors of her apartment, the only thoughts that occupied her mind were those of the previous day. She still could not believe that her best friend and his supposed archrival were actually committing themselves to a long-term relationship. Of course, she did not have a problem with the two males involving themselves with one another, it was just that it all seemed so new to her.

Just then, as if to snap her out of her own little world, the phone rang. She quickly scrambled to get it and managed to pick it up on the second ring.

"Hello?" she answered in her most cheerful voice, even though that was the opposite of how she really felt.

"Hey Tea, it's Yugi." That voice was enough to lift her dampened spirit. She literally almost felt like she was on cloud nine.

"Hi Yugi. What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just got back from the market with my grandpa. What about you?"

Holding her speech for a moment's time, Tea began thinking mentally inside her head.

'What should I say? I can't tell him that I've been thinking about Joey and Seto all day. What would he think of me then?' Eventually she was able to work up the courage to answer Yugi's question somewhat truthfully.

"Well, I was just thinking about how Joey's doing. I mean, that ordeal with his father must have taken a huge toll on him," she explained, her tone of voice becoming softer with every word spoken.

"Yah, I know what you mean…"

It was then that Tea's eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"

"Yes. Ever since I left the mansion yesterday, all I could think about was whether or not Joey was holding up all right. I know that he's tough and can usually handle himself, but sometimes situations get way out of hand and not even the bravest souls can handle it." Tea had to agree with him on that one. She had never seen the blonde look so broken before then he did on that day.

Tea simply nodded her head in response before adding, "Well, Joey is the bravest soul I know. When it comes right down to it, I know that he can handle anything that stands in his way."

Yugi merely smiled. "You're right, Tea. I guess we're worried about nothing." The brunette giggled a little as a simple way of telling the spiky-haired teen that she agreed with him.

"Well, I suppose I should let you go. You probably have a lot of things to do, what with today being Saturday and all." Every single one of Yugi's friends knew that Saturdays were both his grandpa's and his busy days. It had been a 'Motou tradition' for Ra only knows how long.

"Yah, you're right. I'll talk to you later?" Yugi asked before saying goodbye.

"Yep, bye!" Tea replied enthusiastically.

"Bye!" and with that, the two teens hung up the phone at the exact same time. As soon as it was confirmed that the conversation had officially ended, Tea continued to pace back and forth. No matter how she observed the situation, she wasn't able to comprehend the whole thing in her mind. Seto and Joey…going steady? She never thought to expect that…never in a million years. The only thing that helped her cope was the old saying, 'opposites attract'. Maybe it really was true for the male lovers. Only they would know for sure…and apparently they did…

* * *

Meanwhile, Tristan was taking a different approach at looking at the situation between his best friend and sworn enemy. After all the years that he had stuck by the blonde's side, he would have never guessed that he would choose to live such a path. To him, Joey never seemed like the type of guy to let love rule his life. Sure, he had had his share of dates and relationships, but none this serious. He honestly did not know what to think about this. It had all happened so fast and because they were best friends, it was even harder on the pointy-haired brunette. Although, he had been learning to cope very well with such a difficult and new experience. He only wished that he could have learned about Joey's decision from Joey himself rather than having to find out on his own. However, Joey was going through a difficult time in his life and the last thing he would have wanted to do was to admit an embarrassing (or so he thought) fact to his friends. Even though the whole gang was really close to one another, he probably felt rather awkward telling them something so 'unnatural'. He fortunately discovered that, with Tristan's help, his friends would always be there for him, no matter what. In the end, isn't that what friends are really for?

* * *

Ryou, on the other hand, was handling the situation very differently. With Bakura taking control of his body and mind every now and then, he began to develop conflicting emotions. One minute he would feel depressed and the next he would almost feel as if nothing was weighing him down. It was all too confusing to handle alone.

"What are you thinking about hikari?" Then again, he was never really alone. Although, there had been times when he wished he were.

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about stuff…" Ryou, unfortunately, was never good at lying so almost anyone could tell when he was not telling the whole truth.

"Tell the truth…" Bakura spoke through what sounded like clenched teeth while still remaining within the depths of his soul room. The former thief often preferred to talk with his hikari telepathically and without being seen. No one knew why and no one dared to ask either. If there was one thing people were warned not to do, it was to never question the spirit of the Millennium Ring. Extraordinary things often happened when people dared to speak a single word out of line to the tomb robber. That is the main reason why people often feared Ryou before they got to know him. They tended to judge by what they knew and ignored what they did not. That is why human beings are sometimes considered to be close-minded creatures; they don't often see the 'whole picture'. Fortunately, when Ryou first made friends with Yugi and the others, he began to see a whole new side of things, especially with Joey and Seto's latest announcement. He was able to cope rather well with such an interesting turn of events. He would have never imagined that the unlikeliest of people, males to be even more shocking, would actually be able to set aside their differences and become one with one another. Now, if everyone in the world could be like that, we'd be living in a place where everything seems too perfect. It is definitely a lose-lose situation; you cannot win no matter which way you turn. But that's life and we all have to deal with it in our own little way…

* * *

At the Kaiba Estate, things were running as they usually do without any interference from anyone or anything. Mokuba was playing video games in his room, Brianna was out with Gabriel and Seto and Joey were in the living room discussing anything that popped into their minds. Even if they never said a single world to each other, they were just glad to be in the company of the one that meant the most to them. After all, isn't that the meaning of the phrase, 'true love'?

"Joey?" Seto spoke in a tone much unlike his usual one. As he gently wrapped his right arm around the blonde's shoulders, he leaned in close to Joey's face and planted a simple yet sweet kiss on his cheek. That gesture immediately caused Joey's whole face to become flushed with embarrassment. If you didn't look close enough, you could possibly mistake him for a human tomato.

"Joey?" the brunette repeated, wondering whether or not his lover had heard him.

"Yes?" came the blonde's shy reply.

"There's something I…want to tell you, but I don't know if I can…"

Joey pulled away from his lover's warm embrace, yet still kept his body huddled close to the brunette's. "Seto, you know you can tell me anything. I won't laugh, I promise. Just please, let me know what's on your mind," the blonde spoke, keeping his eyes locked on his hands nestled firmly in his lap.

"Well…I…" It wasn't in Seto's nature to stutter, let alone be nervous, but at this particular time, he couldn't help it. Suddenly, as if to surprise both teens, Mokuba came bounding happily down the stairs. When he saw Joey and Seto sitting next to one another on the couch, he couldn't help but shock the teens with his sudden appearance. He had always been a mischief-maker, even when he was younger. He loved to play jokes and sneak up on people; it always made him laugh and, in the end, everyone else would laugh too.

Creeping, creeping, slowly, slowly…and then…

"BOO!" the raven-haired child shouted, causing both males to jump at least as couple of inches off their seat. (Yes, even Seto!)

"What was…" Before Joey could finish his sentence, he looked behind him and found Mokuba snickering to himself.

"Heh, I got you guys good!" he gloated.

"Yes, I admit that kiddo, but what you really need to do is go into the kitchen. Brianna made some treats for you before she left so you better eat them before Joey and I get to them." Not even two seconds had gone by before Mokuba was gone from the living room. A minute later he came back with his arms full of goodies and headed back upstairs to his room.

'You better tell him, Seto,' he thought mentally to himself. 'The only reason I'm leaving you two alone is so that you can finally express your hidden feelings. You better not chicken out…' It was then that a sneaky sort of smile made its way onto the pre-teen's façade. He couldn't help but think of all the possibilities that could occur once his brother 'let it all out'. It would definitely be something to remember for the rest of your natural-born life…

* * *

Meanwhile, after both Seto and Joey realized that they were finally alone again, Seto decided to work up the courage and tell Joey what it was that he kept bottled up inside.

"So, what was it that you wanted to tell me before we got interrupted?" That was most definitely unexpected as seen through Seto's eyes. He did not expect Joey to ask the same question that related most to the thoughts bouncing around inside his head. Nonetheless, he managed to say, with little to no difficulty, how he truly felt about their relationship with each other.

"Well…" It was definitely harder than he thought. But, after doing some constant reasoning with himself, he managed to finally say what he wanted to and needed to say. "Well…the thing is…I love you…"

Joey simply smiled and laughed a little. "I know that! If you didn't love me, would I really be sitting here talking to you?"

Seto shook his head. "That's not all I wanted to tell you…" The blonde-haired puppy had absolutely no idea what was going to come out of his dragon's mouth next. What could there possibly be more to say than, 'I love you'?

"I…I love you more than you can ever imagine. I wish that I could show you just how much I really care for you, but unfortunately there isn't enough time in our lives to do that. I've been in other relationships before, but none as powerful as this one. You're everything to me Joey; you made me who I am today and for that I thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you had never been there for me…" It seemed awkward at first to listen to someone like Seto Kaiba express his feelings in such a loving manner, especially to someone like Joey. But then again, as some people have said, love can often make us do crazy things. This just happened to be one of those times…

"I love you too Seto…forever and always…" Joey replied as he leaned in closer and rested his head on the brunette's shoulder. Seto smiled warmly as he wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders comfortingly and rested his own head on top of his lover's.

"Forever and always…" Seto spoke lightly into the blonde's ear so as to not wake him from his slumber. However, soon enough the brunette began to drift slowly off to dreamland, his mind filled with nothing but thoughts of the one he truly loved. As both teens slept peacefully, they knew that, in the end, they would always be together, no matter what…

**OWARI**

_**Ramen Goddess: **Well, how was that for an ending? I thought it was really sweet. I love romantic scenes between Seto and Joey. They're just so kawaii! But anyway, now that this story has come to an end, I need to ask you all whether or not you want another sequel. I must warn you, however, that I may not get around to writing it for a while, what with work and school weighing me down. But whenever I have free time, I will sit down and write. I have two ideas in my head, but the problem is deciding which one to use. That's where you guys come in. If you wish for me to write a sequel, let me know in your reviews. Here are the ideas to choose from:_

_1) It has been a couple of years since Seto and Joey began dating and now they're headed off the college! Lots of new and exciting opportunities await them wherever they go! The problem? They've both been accepted into different colleges…in different cities! How will they manage to cope with a long-distance relationship? Will it work out or will they slowly start to drift apart?_

_2) Kaiba Corporation is going bankrupt! Seto is trying his hardest to save his company by continually working late hours and even on the weekends, which puts a lot of strain on his and Joey's relationship. However, it appears that it is not enough to bring the corporation back up to where it once was. Joey is upset over seeing Seto so stressed out and decides to take some action. He decides that he is going to take on a part-time job (or two) to help finance the company. The twist? He's doing all this in secrecy! What will happen when (or if) Seto finds out? Will a heat-filled argument arise or will all be well?  
_

_So there are your choices; whichever one you choose, that will be the basis for the next story. So please, let your opinions be heard! Until then, luv ya'll! Ja ne!_

_P.S. Thank you SO much for sticking with me throughout **The Dragon's Puppy **and this story! I appreciate all of your positive comments! They always inspired to keep writing, even in the midst of the 'oh-so-horrible' writer's block. Arigatou!_

_Much love from,_

_Ramen Goddess_


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